across it," said the Crow. "I know," said the Pigeon. "And
then we put another stick lower down," said the Crow. "I
know," said the Pigeon. "Then we put another stick
lengthwise." "I know," said the Pigeon. "Musha," said the
Crow, "If you know so much, why do you come here at all?
Away with you! Fly home now and build the nest yourself."
The Pigeon flew home, but of course he was not able to build
his nest, for he knew nothing about the laying of sticks and
the bringing of straws, and he was too young and foolish to
learn when he got the chance. And that is why the Pigeon to
this day cannot build a nest.

[Illustration]

"Why do you tell such foolish stories?" said Purpurpurati the Peacock
when Hoodie had finished.

"We have no other stories in our family," said Hoodie the Crow. "We
don't know about Jewels and Magicians and Palaces and Kings and
Dragons."

"The Magician," said Purpurpurati the Peacock, "The Magician lived in
a Palace of red marble that was all surrounded by a forest of black,
black trees. I lived there too and I ate golden grains out of pails of
silver. That was long ago and it was in far India.

"The Magician had precious stones of every kind and he would have me
walk beside him to the Cavern where he kept his precious stones, and
as he handled them over he would tell me of the virtues that each
stone possessed. And one day the Magician looking upon me said 'This
Peacock I will slay, for the beauty of his neck makes dull my
turquoises and the crest on his head is more shapely than my Persian
jewel-work.'"

"Dear me, dear me!" said Hoodie the Crow.

Hearing him say this, said the Peacock "I flew into the branches of a
dark, dark tree. And as I rested there the fair lady who walked about
the Garden--White-as-a-Pearl she was called and she was the Magician's
daughter--walked under the dark, dark trees, and I saw that she was
weeping.

"I knew why she wept. She wept for the young man whom her father had
imprisoned in a tower. This young man was the son of a King, and the
Magician was his father's brother. And if the young man died the
Magician would become King in his brother's Kingdom. But the lady
White-as-a-Pearl did not want the young man to die.

"A little snow-white dove flew down from the tower and spoke in words
to White-as-a-Pearl and asked her what word she had to send to the
young man.

"'You must tell him terrible news, my little