Then the two kittens strolled back toward the tree. Jazbury was almost ashamed to face Yowler. Anyway, it was not his fault. It had not been his bird.
Suddenly Fluffy stopped, his eyes wide and excited. "There, look at that!" he cried.
"What?" asked Jazbury.
"There! Under that bush!"
Jazbury looked, and then he saw a little heap of feathers lying under the bush,--a wing--a tail. Fluffy went over to where they lay and sniffed about. "I knew it," he mewed. "Yowler has been here. This is where he killed the bird and ate it. Now you'll believe me, I guess."
Jazbury, too, went over to the bush and sniffed about, and he could very easily tell that Yowler had been there. It made him feel very sad that their companion should have played such a trick upon them.
When they came to the hollow tree they found Yowler still fast asleep. Their coming awakened him. "Did you catch anything?" he asked eagerly.
"Yes, we caught a bird."
"Where is it?" Yowler sprang to his feet. "Did you bring it home?"
Jazbury and Fluffy looked at each other. Then Fluffy said, "No; we ate it."