Something told her I was coming, and without turning her head she said, “The hawk is around. Go warn Mona.”
I flew down-stairs. There was great talk on the farm of the intelligence of the St. Bernard, whereas we cats told her when the hawk was coming, and the birds told us.
As I ran up to the barn I threw swift glances about me. The little birds knew. Wild sparrows, swallows, goldfinches, purple finches, robins, and ever so many other birds were all flying toward the west. The pigeons saw them, and they were high up in the air circling as swiftly as they could round and round the carriage-house, so the hawk could not drop on them from above. The hens didn't know yet, for Beauty and her brood were following Bobby, the tame pig, up and down the young orchard where he was rooting up worms. He wouldn't let any other hen and chickens get near him.
“Mona, Mona,” I mewed as I ran to the barn floor, “hawk! hawk!”
Mona opened her great jaws and bellowed, “Bow! Wow!” as she ran from the barn to the house and then to the orchard.
Every creature understood her warning note, and she was not the only enemy the hawk had. There was a furious scolding and chattering from the pine trees beyond the orchard where a pair of crows had had a nest during the summer. They had seen the hawk, and they worried him till he passed by the front door of their nest where the young ones used to be.
He had a hard flight that morning. By the time he reached the farm, every chicken was hiding under bushes, or in the buckwheat, or under the veranda, or on the woodpile, and a pair of king-birds were nearly driving him crazy.
Aunt Tabby had explained to me when I first came to the farm about these brave little birds, who are never frightened of a hawk and who do no harm, though they are often accused of eating too many bees. Aunt Tabby, who has watched them closely, says they kill a thousand noxious insects for every bee they eat.
Mr. Hawk flew away to the westward, but the little frightened birds were all scurrying ahead of him, and he would not be able to do much damage in that direction. As soon as I saw the last beat of his powerful wings, I ran back to Serena.
“Oh, sister!” I said, “have you heard that we are soon going back to Boston?”