he ground
and walked along the brook until he came to a place where the brook was
narrow, then the farmer's Maltese cat crouched and sprang across the
brook at one leap.

"He is surely coming to our woods!" said Mrs. Robin, and Robert Robin
was so frightened that all he could say was "Tut! Tut! Tut!"

The great cat tiptoed across the corner of the pasture, and crept under
the fence. He was now in the meadow next to the woods, and was walking
slowly towards Mister Robert Robin's tree. Every few moments he would
stand still and look all around. Once he sat down for several minutes,
and Robert Robin was hoping that he would not come any nearer the woods.
Mrs. Bee was buzzing around the basswood blossoms, and Robert Robin
said:

"Mrs. Bee, you are a very good friend of mine! Please fly down there and
sting that big cat for me! It will only take you a moment and it will be
a great favor!" But Mrs. Bee was busy filling her bag with honey, and
had no time to bother, stinging cats.

Mister Jim Crow came flying past and Robert Robin called to him: "Oh!
Mister Crow! Fly right straight at that cat and scare him out of his
wits!"

"Oh! Let him alone!" said Jim Crow, "he is only catching meadow mice!"

And Jim Crow flew over into the other woods.

Then nearer and nearer the big cat crept towards Robert Robin's tree.
Mister Kingbird came fluttering his wings and screaming, "King! King!
King!" but though he feared no hawk nor owl he was afraid of the big cat
and would not go anywhere near him.

The farmer's big Maltese cat was standing almost under Robert Robin's
tree. He was swinging his long tail from side to side, and looking at
Robert Robin with his green eyes. The big cat was thinking to himself,
"I would like to have that robin for my breakfast!"

But Robert Robin had no fear of the cat catching him; he was afraid that
the animal might climb his big basswood tree and eat his baby robins.

"I will climb that big basswood tree and catch Mister Robin!" said the
big cat to himself. Then he crawled under the fence and started
climbing up the big tree. The big basswood was very tall and straight,
and as the farmer's cat climbed higher and higher he saw Mister and Mrs.
Robert Robin sitting in a maple tree screaming at him with all their
might.

"What is the use of my climbing this tall tree when the birds are in the
top of the other one?" the cat asked himself. "I think that I will slide
down!"

The big cat slid down th