However, he was not left there long in peace, for the birds of Greenlawn
did not like such visitors; and the first notice they had of the
stranger was from Specklems, the starling, who flew up into the tree,
and then out again as though a wasp had stuck in his ear.
"Chur-chair-chark," he shouted, flying round and round, spitting and
sputtering, and making his head look like a hedgehog.
"Chur-chair-r-r-r," he cried, and very soon the whole of the birds in
the neighbourhood were out to see what it all meant.
"Now then, what's the matter?" said the magpie, coming up all in a
hurry. "Whose eggs are broken now? Anybody's little one tumbled out of
the nest into Mrs Puss's mouth, for me to get the blame?"
"Look--look in the cedar," shouted the birds; and up in the cedar went
the magpie with his long tail quivering with excitement, and down he
came again with his tail trembling with fright.
"Why didn't you say who it was in the tree?" said the magpie. "Oh! my
stars and garters, how out of breath I am. Going about in such a hurry
always puts me in a tremble. Oh no! I'm not afraid, not the least bit
in the world, it's being out of breath."
"Well, go up and drive the old hook-nosed thing away," said the
blackbird; "he's no business here, and we _are_ all afraid; ain't we
birds?"
"Yes! yes! scared to death," chorused all the birds.
"Come, up you go," said the blackbird; "there's a good fellow."
But the magpie stood on one leg and put a long black claw by the side of
his beak in a very knowing manner, and then he said, with his head all
on one side, "How do I know that he won't bite?"
"Why, we thought you said that you were not afraid," said the birds.
"Not the least in the world, gentlemen," said Mag; "but my wife's
calling me, and I must go, or really I should only be too happy to
oblige you. Another time you may depend upon me. Good-bye, gentlemen,
_good-bye_."
And before the birds had time to speak again, the cowardly magpie gave
three or four hops across the lawn, and then spread out his wings, and
went off in a hurry--telling a story into the bargain, for his wife
might have called for a week, and he could not have heard so far-off.
But Maggy was dreadfully afraid, and, like many people in the world, he
was ashamed to show it, and so made a very lame-legged excuse, and ran
away.
"Ha-ha-ha," said the birds, "why, that's worse than being afraid and
showing it. Why, he's ever so much bigger than we are, and has claws
sharp enough for anything. Why, he pinched one of old mother
Muddle-dab's ducklings to death with his great black nails."
"Well, what's to be done now?" said Specklems, "I'm not going to have
him in my tree, and I won't either. I've a good mind to run at him with
my sharp bill and stick it into him; and I would, too, if I was sure he
wouldn't hurt me. Wouf!" said the starling, fiercely, and making a poke
at nothing; "wouf! couldn't I give it him!" And then he stuck his
little pointed feathers up again, and stood on the tips of his toes with
a look as fierce as a half-picked chicken.
"Of course, gentlemen, it isn't for such a quiet mournful body as me to
say anything," said the dove, "but I can't help thinking that the tree
is as much mine as Mr Specklems'; but we won't quarrel about that, for
just now it belongs to somebody else, and I feel very uncomfortable
about my young ones. Suppose Mr Specklems goes and gives the great
staring, goggle-eyed thing a poke; I'm sure I wish he would."
"I should just like to pickaxe him with my mortar-chipper," said an old
cock-sparrow. "I'd teach him to come into other people's trees without
being asked."
"Let's ask him civilly to go," said the wren.
"Let's shout at him, and frighten him," said the owl.
"Say `Ta-ta' to him, and then he'll go," said the jackdaw.
"Why, we're not afraid, after all," said all the birds together; "let's
all have a fly at him at once and beat him off."
"Who'll go first?" said the jackdaw.
"Why, I will," said the tomtit.
And then all the birds burst out laughing so heartily at the tiny little
fellow's offer, that he grew quite cross, and told the birds to come on;
and then he flew into the cedar, and before the great falcon knew what
he was going to do, Tom-tit dashed at him, and gave him such a peck with
his little sharp beak, that the falcon jumped off his perch and stared
about him; and then, before he could find out what was the matter, the
jackdaw flew up above him, and came down head over heels on his back;
the owl shouted "Who-o-who-o" in his ear; the blackbird and thrush stuck
their beaks in his stomach; the sparrows poked him in the back; and the
martins and swallows darted round and round him, and under and over, and
all the other birds whistled and chattered and fluttered about him at
such a rate, that at last the falcon didn't know whom to attack, and was
regularly mobbed out of the garden, and flew off with a whole stream of
birds after him, and he, in spite of his sharp claws and beak, glad to
get out of the way as fast as he could.
At last the birds all flew back again, and settled down amongst the
bushes on Greenlawn, and chirruped and laughed to think how they had
driven away the great hook-beaked enemy, when who should come down into
their midst but the magpie, all in a hurry and bustle, and looking as
important as if all the place belonged to him.
"Now, then, here I am again," said he. "She only wanted my opinion
about our last eggs, and I've hurried back as fast as I could to drive
away this great hook-beaked bird that frightened you all so. I suppose
I had better go up at once, hadn't I? But where shall I send him to?"
And there the great artful bird stood pretending that he had not seen
the falcon driven off, and that he had come back on purpose to scare it
away. But it would not do this time, for although there were some of
the little birds who believed in the magpie, and thought him a very fine
fellow, yet the greater part of those present burst out laughing at him,
and at last made him so cross that he called them a pack of idiots, and
flew off in a pet, feeling very uncomfortable and transparent, and cross
with himself as well, for having been such a stupid, deceitful thing.
While the wiser birds made up their minds never to be deceived by the
sly bird again; for before this he had had it all his own way, because
he was so big, and everybody thought that he was brave as well; but now
that he had been put to the test, he had proved himself to be an arrant
coward, and only brave enough to fight against things smaller than
himself.