or me; but when he
landed where I was, I wasn't there! If I hadn't made him believe he
could catch me he might have found my chicks."

"Well," said Little Luke, "I heard Sam say that no one could find a
young partridge chick, but I'm going to try it. You know since I found
the Magic Flower my eyes are sharper than those of any of the other
house people."

"All right," said Mother Mit-chee, "I'll call them out. I'm afraid if
you walk around there, you'll step on them; they're right around your
feet." And she began calling to the chicks. "Kreet, kreet, come out,
come out, right away," she called.

Right before little Luke a dead leaf that was curled up seemed to come
to life, but it wasn't really the leaf. It was the partridge chick that
had squatted upon it that moved. Just before him, little Luke saw a tiny
bunch under the dead leaves. He reached down and seized it, but very
carefully. It was another one of the chicks. And the ground about him
seemed alive with the little ones as they came out at their mother's
call.

"Well done," said Mother Mit-chee, "your eyes certainly are good. But
handle him carefully. Don't squeeze too tight. There now, you've hurt
him!" (The little one was peeping as if in pain.)

Little Luke set him very carefully on the ground. "Don't worry," said
he, "he isn't hurt, he's only a little scared."

"Well," said Mother Mit-chee, "I must take these babies of mine down
to the spring and teach them how to drink. They have never tasted
water yet."

"Kreet, kreet, come along, come along," called Mother Mit-chee.

"Peep, peep, we're coming, we're coming, mother," said the little ones.
And they all started down the mountainside toward the spring.

It took a good while to get there, for the chicks were young, and their
little legs so short and so weak that Mother Mit-chee had to wait for
them a good many times. But it was a pretty sight. The yellow, downy,
little fellows marched along boldly behind their mother. Sometimes she
would go on a little way ahead. Then she would stop and call, "Kreet,
kreet, come along, children," and the little fellows would race to see
who could catch up first.

Some of them were not so strong as others, and at times they would squat
upon the ground to rest. Mother Mit-chee would wait as long as she
thought proper, and then tell them to "come along." And away they would
go down the mountainside.

At last they reached the spring. The little ones had never seen wat