"It wouldn't have done _him_ any good," the Rooster declared, stamping a
foot and thrusting his bill far forward, to show Henrietta Hen how brave
he was.

"What's the matter?" she inquired. "Have you eaten something that
disagrees with you?"

The Rooster couldn't help looking foolish. Henrietta Hen believed in
letting him know that she stood in no awe of him. And while he was
feeling ill at ease she hastened to tell him that hereafter he must _hold
onto_ his first crow until after sunrise.

"I can't do that," he told her again, unhappily.

"Don't you dare let go of it!" she warned him. "If that first crow gets
away from you while it's dark, there'll be so many others to follow it
that I shan't be able to close an eye for even a cat-nap."




VIII

WHY THE ROOSTER CROWED


Henrietta Hen had commanded the Rooster to wait until daylight before he
began to crow.