SELF-CONFIDENCE 2IIsight, the dog slowly edged up toward the hen, sniffed the air in her
direction a time or two (to make sure she was the kind of meat for which
he was looking), then made a dive toward her. Meanwhile, Mrs. Hen had
been doing some surveying of her own, for she met Mr. Dog more than
halfway; moreover, she met him with a surprise of wings and claws such
as he had never before experienced. The first round was clearly the hen's.
But a nice fat bird, reckoned the dog, was not to slip between his paws so
easily; therefore he backed away a short distance, then charged again. This
time Mrs. Hen lit upon his back, drove her claws into his skin, and made
effective use of her sharp bill! Mr. Dog retreated to his corner, looking
for all the world as if he were listening for someone to ring the bell and
call the fight off until he got his bearings. But Mrs. Hen craved no time
for deliberation; she had her adversary on the run and showed that she
knew the value of the offensive by keeping him on the run.
One could almost understand her words as she flogged the poor
Airedale from one corner to another, keeping up a series of rapid-fire
sounds that for all the world resembled the remonstrations of an angry
mother who had been called upon to defend her offspring from an
attack by older boys.
The Airedale was a poor soldier. After running around the barn from
corner to corner for about two minutes, he spread himself on the ground
as flat as he could and did his best to protect his eyes with his paws. Mrs.
Hen seemed to be making a special attempt to peck out his eyes.
The owner of the hen then stepped in and retrieved her-or, more
accurately stating it, he retrieved the dog-which in no way appeared to
meet with the dog's disapproval.
The next day a chicken was placed in the cellar where the dog
slept. As soon as he saw the bird he tucked his tail between his legs
and ran for a corner. He never again attempted to catch a chicken. One
lesson in social heredity, via the sense of touch, was sufficient to teach
him that while chicken-chasing may offer some enjoyment, it is also
fraught with many hazards.