Nobody answered him, for at that moment one of the youngsters flung a
butternut at the Major, who caught the missile deftly and shot it back
again.

A howl of delight from the ground below greeted the Major's ears.

"Let's stone him!" somebody cried.

But Johnnie Green said, "No! We don't want to hurt him. We'll climb
the tree and get him."

His friends agreed that that was the better way, after all. And one
after another they began to shin up the tree where Major Monkey was
still cutting his queer capers. The boys had no sooner started to
climb after him than the Major gave a shrill whistle. He was calling
for help. But there was not a general in sight anywhere.

He could see not a single one of his whole army, except the cook, old
Mr. Crow. And even he flapped away to a neighboring tree-top. As Mr.
Crow remarked afterward, since he had to do nothing, he thought he
could do it much better if he wasn't too near.

Major Monkey began to chatter. And Mr. Crow always declared that the
Major trembled.

There is no doubt that he was alarmed. He scrambled to the very top of
the tree, while the boys went up, up, up--until at last Major Monkey
gave a scream and jumped into another--and smaller--tree, the top of
which was far below him.