disliked to condemn them to slavery again; but that seemed the only
way to end the trouble.

So he set off to find the birds. They had flown a long distance, but
it was nothing to Popopo to reach them in a second, and he
discovered them sitting upon the branches of a big chestnut tree and
singing gayly.

When they saw the knook the birds cried:

"Thank you, Popopo. Thank you for setting us free."

"Do not thank me," returned the knook, "for I have come to send you
back to the millinery shop."

"Why?" demanded a blue jay, angrily, while the others stopped their
songs.

"Because I find the woman considers you her property, and your loss
has caused her much unhappiness," answered Popopo.

"But remember how unhappy we were in her glass case," said a robin
redbreast, gravely. "And as for being her property, you are a knook,
and the natural guardian of all birds; so you know that Nature
created us free. To be sure, wicked men shot and stuffed us, and
sold us to the milliner; but the idea of our being her property is
nonsense!"

Popopo was puzzled.