But here he stopped, with his mouth wide open; for up a tiny [brown] path that led into the wood, came a little red man about a foot high, dressed in green, and leading by a long yellow string a plump, speckled guinea-hen! The little old man came whistling along until he reached the Bantam, when he fastened the yellow string to her leg, and went back again down the path, and disappeared among the trees.
Davie looked and wondered. Presently, the guinea stretched out her neck and called to him in a funny voice:
"Why in the world don't you go on? Do you think I want to wait all day for my turn to come?"
Davie began to sing again: "Guinea said——"
"Pot-rack! pot-rack!" instantly squeaked the speckled guinea-[hen].
Davie jumped up. He was fairly[Page 570] frightened now. But his courage soon came back. "I'm not afraid," he said to himself; "I'll see what the end of this song will be!"—and he began to sing again:
"I bought a duck, and my duck pleased me;
I tied my duck behind a tree;
Duck said——"
"Quack! quack!" came from around the oak. But Davie went on: