g behind them, driving them all down a lane towards the
forest. Richard thought with himself, "There is more in this than I can
account for. But an umbrella that could lay eggs would be a very jolly
umbrella." So by the time the people were beginning to laugh at each
other, Richard was half-way down the lane at the heels of the geese.
There he stooped and caught one of them, but instead of a goose he had
a huge hedgehog in his hands, which he dropped in dismay; whereupon it
waddled away a goose as before, and the whole of them began cackling
and hissing in a way that he could not mistake. For the turkey-cock, he
gobbled and gabbled and choked himself and got right again in the most
ridiculous manner. In fact, he seemed sometimes to forget that he was a
turkey, and laughed like a fool. All at once, with a simultaneous
long-necked hiss, they flew into the wood, and the turkey after them.
But Richard soon got up with them again, and found them all hanging by
their feet from the trees, in two rows, one on each side of the path,
while the turkey was walking on. Him Richard followed; but the moment
he reached the middle of the suspended geese, from every side arose the
most frightful hisses, and their necks grew longer and longer, till
there were nearly thirty broad bills close to his head, blowing in his
face, in his ears, and at the back of his neck. But the turkey, looking
round and seeing what was going on, turned and walked back. When he
reached the place, he looked up at the first and gobbled at him in the
wildest manner. That goose grew silent and dropped from the tree. Then
he went to the next, and the next, and so on, till he had gobbled them
all off the trees, one after another. But when Richard expected to see
them go after the turkey, there was nothing there but a flock of huge
mushrooms and puff-balls.

"I have had enough of this," thought Richard. "I will go home again."

"Go home, Richard," said a voice close to him.

Looking down, he saw, instead of the turkey, the most comical-looking
little man he had ever seen.

"Go home, Master Richard," repeated he, grinning.

"Not for your bidding," answered Richard.

"Come on, then, Master Richard."

"Nor that either, without a good reason."

"I will give you _such_ an umbrella for your mother."

"I don't take presents from strangers."

"Bless you, I'm no stranger here! Oh, no! not at all." And he set off
in the manner usual with him, rolling every way at onc