Rowdy was talking to Jasper Jay, who sat in a tree not far away. His
boasting amused Jasper. First Jasper smiled. Then he laughed aloud. And
after that he gave a hoarse shriek, which rang through the woods most
unpleasantly. At least, that was what Rowdy Red-Squirrel thought.

"What's the joke?" he asked.

"The joke?" Jasper answered. "Why--ha! ha!--_you_ are the joke! I don't
believe you can whip _one_ chipmunk. And when you talk of whipping _six_,
I can't help laughing."

"You wouldn't laugh if I could catch you," Rowdy Red-Squirrel growled.
And if he hadn't known that Jasper Jay would fly away, he would have
jumped into Jasper's tree and chased him.

"You mustn't expect me to believe you can whip _six_ until I've seen you
whip _one_," Jasper went on. "There's Sandy Chipmunk in that beech tree.
Why don't you steal over there and show me whether you can whip him?"

"I'll do it!" Rowdy cried. "Not that I find much pleasure in fighting a
single chipmunk--for I can whip _one_ with my hands tied behind me."

"Can you?" Jasper Jay asked. "Then let me see you tie your hands."

"I can't!" Rowdy Red-Squirrel replied. "Who ever heard of anybody who
could tie his own hands behind him?... _You_ will have to do that for
me," he said.

Jasper Jay gave another loud shriek and rocked back and forth on the limb
where he sat.