air, and the rope stiffened and held like a ship's
hawser. But the executioner had not calculated everything. The rope and
the 'drop' were all right, but when the gallows felt the shock, the
pump-handle cracked off like a match, and the old moss-covered tube gave
two rocks and reeled from its moorings, and lay split in pieces on the
ground. Jagged and needlelike splinters at the same moment scraped and
pierced and gouged at the shepherd's shins, and tore his nether
garments, and made him dance with pain and rage. If anything could have
added more agony to the next few minutes it was the sight of Tricky.
That ever gay animal was careering down the hill straight towards the
feeding sheep. The pump-handle was still tied to its neck, and it
clattered over the stones with a noise weird enough to drive the whole
flock into the sea. The shepherd knew there must be a catastrophe, but
he was powerless to avert it. He was too sore to follow, so he slowly
limped towards the hut, to nurse his wrath and his wounds.

CHAPTER IV

For three days after the monkey had been 'hanged' it did not come near
the shepherd or his house. A monkey has feelings. To be nearly hanged is
bad enough, but to have a boa-constrictor and a pump-handle tied to your
neck is more than any self-respecting animal would stand. So Tricky
devoted himself exclusively to the sheep. For the space of three days,
with the invaluable aid of the pump-handle, Tricky shepherded that
flock. Not a blade of grass was nibbled during this period; one
prolonged stampede was kept up night and day. The lambs dropped with
hunger. The old sheep tottered with fatigue. The whole flock was
demoralised. In fact, when the 'Reign of Terror' closed there was not a
pound of sound mutton left on the island.

Why did not the shepherd interfere? Because, as we shall see, for these
three days he had more urgent work to do. When the shepherd's wife went
out to the pump that morning for water to make the porridge with, she
found it a heap of ruins. She came back and broke the tidings to the
shepherd, and said she believed it had been struck with lightning. The
shepherd discreetly said nothing, but presently stole sullenly out to
inspect the damage once more. It was worse than he thought. A pump must
hold in both air and water; this pump was rent and split in a dozen
places. There was no water either to drink or make the porridge with,
till the tube was mended. So all that day the sheph