CHAPTER XI.

A CAT-HUNT.

SOMEWHERE about this time, I cannot tell the exact date, Tip came to me and asked me to assist him in putting down the cats in the neighbourhood. Neither he nor I cared for cats; in fact, we both of us disliked them; but we had hitherto been very good-natured to those in the village, and of late they had presumed very much upon this.

Frequently I had been kept awake at night by their unseemly noises, and Tip had often urged me to reprimand them, but they were rather beneath my notice, and so I had left them alone.

This morning when Tip came again to complain of them to me, he said that unless I backed him up, he should attack them on his own account, for he could not stand their insolence any longer. They had not only kept him awake at night, but early in the morning they came round the house, and actually had the impertinence to grin at him through the window. He alluded especially to two black cats whose names he believed were Molly and Polly, and he said he would not stand it any longer. Only that morning they had peered at him through the window, and he ordered them off at once; but they were mean enough to take advantage of his being shut up in the

"Don't

room; and they said as distinctly as cats could say, you wish you may catch us," and then they spat at him and

ran away.

Now this was really most audacious behaviour on the part of Molly and Polly, and as I had reason to believe they were the culprits who had given me several bad nights, I told Tip that I would certainly join him in any well-organized plan for thoroughly punishing them.

Tip suggested that we should call in Jack's assistance, and that we should then have a grand cat-hunt through the village, and scare them out of their wits.

This seemed a good idea; so we called upon Jack, who readily came into the plan so long as we did not hunt the cats in a wood, as he had no desire for a second encounter with brambles. He considered nine o'clock in the evening about the best time, especially if there were a moon; and when we suggested ten or eleven as better still, he reminded us that by that time both he and Tip would be shut up in the house, unless they wished to spend the night out. Tip did not like the idea of spending the night out, and so it was arranged that the hunt should begin at eight, and that if we did not find two good hours enough, we should sacrifice a night's rest, for somehow or other the cats must be brought to reason. This being all satisfactorily arranged, we separated, and agreed to meet at an old barn near the church, just as the clock struck eight.

Tip and I spent that day very quietly. Miss Kate did not seem to want us, and we thought we had better reserve our strength for the evening; so we lay down under the trees in the garden the greater part of the day. Tip told me amongst

other things that silly little Miss Lilla had been found. It seems she had taken a fancy to a human on the beach and walked home with her, and the human not knowing where she lived had allowed her to come indoors until some one claimed her. Lilla had been quite as happy with this new acquaintance as with her mistress, and "it only proves," said Tip, "that what we said was true, that she was a silly little thing and not worth finding."

I quite agreed with him. Dogs (and humans too for the matter of that) who do not know the difference between friends and acquaintances, are poor specimens, with little heart, and no judgment.

I remember that Tip and I had a great deal of conversation that day upon dogs and humans, and I told him how much I longed to see my brother Bob again, and my sister Nettle. He quite sympathized with me, though he had no special feelings about his own kith and kin: as he had left home when he was so young, he remembered nothing about them. Tip devoted himself to his young mistress in the evening, until he felt sure that it was getting near the time for us to start for the old barn, and then he slipped out of doors and joined

me.

I was quite ready to go, and so we immediately set off and arrived at the barn just as the church clock struck eight. Jack was not quite as punctual as we were, but he did not keep us waiting very long, and as it was a lovely night we did not mind. He told us that as he was coming along he saw Miss Polly walking on the top of a wall, and he felt sure that her companion Molly could not be far off.

This was famous news for us, and we began to feel quite excited at the prospect of the hunt.

After prowling about the old barn for about a quarter of an hour, and seeing and hearing nothing, we walked down the road towards the village, and we very soon encountered a large Tabby, who was evidently an idle fellow, and probably waiting for other loungers who would join him in disturbing the slumbers of the place. We thought it would hardly be fair to attack him, as we were three to one, and so we let him pass by us unmolested, and we only used him as a clue for discovering his companions. After he had gone some little distance, we turned round and followed in the same direction. As we passed by the church nine o'clock struck, and as up to that time we had done nothing, we determined to spend the night out, rather than go home without having accomplished our mission. Tip was the only one likely to object; but he was beginning to get into the spirit of the hunt, and he raised no difficulties at all. This being decided, we made up our minds to take it coolly, and yet to do our work effectually.

As we were going along the road we distinctly heard some cats talking on the other side of the wall, and Tip said he was sure they were Polly and Molly, and he wanted to attack them at once; but I quieted him, as I wished to hear what the cats were saying, and also I knew we could not get at them where they then were. We therefore remained very still, and we heard a cat saying that there were several dogs abroad that night, and so he advised his friends to remain quiet, until the dogs were safe housed, "when," he said, "you will have it all

your own way as usual." This was evidently our Tabby friend, whom we had met, who was giving his advice.

"Oh !" said Polly, "the church clock has struck nine, and all the dogs are safely housed by that time, and by ten o'clock the yard-dogs will be asleep, and mostly tied up, except that Mr. Rex; but he is too lazy to trouble himself about us, and so we may as well begin our pranks soon. It is fine fun to wake them all out of their sleep, and to know they cannot get at us, and then to wind up with a nice supper of mice in the barn. Will you join us, Sambo?"

"Oh, do!" said Molly, "and as we pass by old Miss Smith's house do make as much noise as ever you can, for the old woman cannot bear us, and once ran after Polly and me with the broomstick." Sambo promised to be in attendance on Molly and Polly, and so we knew that it would be quite a fair battle with us, as we should be three to three.

Tip whispered to me that he thought we had better slip away either to our house, or to Miss Smith's, and await the arrival of the cats there; and we settled in favour of Miss Smith's, because we thought it would be dangerous to go so near home, the humans might see us, and shut us up.

As we went along the road to Miss Smith's, Jack was loud in his abuse of the meanness of cats, in attacking people when they know their enemies cannot retaliate; and I quite agreed with all he said, and added that I thought Miss Polly would find that I should not be lazy for once.

Ten o'clock struck, and we laid down very quietly under the trees, close by Miss Smith's house.

Almost directly after, we saw Molly walking stealthily along