said, wriggling his tail. "But
I will try, because it was my fault that the ball went over. I'll climb
down."

"No, don't do that," spoke Sammie Littletail. "You might fall and be
hurt. See, here is a long wild grapevine. The vine is just like a rope.
We can tie one end around you while we hold on the other end. Then we
can lower you down into the hole, just like on an elevator, and you can
get the football. Then we'll pull you up again."

Every one thought that was a good plan, so they took a long piece of
grapevine and tied it around Jacko.

"Careful now!" called Jacko, as they began lowering him over the edge
of the hill, down into the hole where the football was. "Don't let me
fall!"

They all had tight hold of the grapevine rope, and they promised they
wouldn't let go. And they lowered Jacko down, down, down; very slowly
and carefully, until he could pick up the lost football in his paws.
Then they began to pull him up.

But they didn't know that a savage hawk-bird had her nest in the side of
that hill. And Jacko was lowered right past where she lived. When he
went down the bird was asleep, but when his friends began pulling him up
the bad bird awakened. She looked out, and she saw Jacko, the red
monkey, swinging on the end of the grapevine near her nest of eggs.

"Now is my chance to pick his eyes out!" cried the hawk-bird. Right at
Jacko she flew, beating her big wings and gnashing her beak, and
wiggling her sharp claws. Jacko saw her coming, but he had the football
in one paw and he had to hold on the rope with the other, so he couldn't
do much except with his feet.

"Here's where I bite you!" cried the savage hawk, and really it did seem
as if she would. For the boy animals couldn't pull Jacko up fast enough
to get him out the way of the hawk. And there he was, dangling on the
end of the grapevine rope like an apple on a string.

Then Jumpo, sitting up in the window, saw what was happening. He wanted
to help his brother, so he cried:

"Some of you fellows come and get my bean shooter, and shoot the hawk
until she lets Jacko alone. Hurry and get my shooter."

So Sammie Littletail ran and got the shooter, and a lot of hard beans.
Then he leaned over the edge of the steep hill, and he blew beans at the
hawk that was flying around trying to pick out Jacko's eyes.

The beans hit the bird all over; on her tail and on her feathers and on
her claws and beak, and soon she was glad enough to fly back into he