“Can’t they!” said Jack the Rover confidently.
“The trees talk to me. Listen! Don’t you hear them—the rustling of the leaves against each other in the breeze? That is how they talk.”
“And can you understand what they say, Jack?”
“Of course I can, Berty. They are whispering something to me now. Something that I want to know very much.”
“Tell me what they say, Jack.”
“They say that you must sit here beneath their protecting shade and finish your pies,” said the bird solemnly. “If you stir from beneath these trees before I return, you will be totally lost to those you love, and die a dreadful death in the bush.”
“Are you going to leave me, Jack?” [[319]]
“Only for a short time,” said the bird assuringly. “Finish your repast, and wait patiently till I return. I won’t be long away.” Saying which the laughing jackass mounted on the wing and was soon lost to view.