Mew-Mew gave a look all round, and as the sheep-dog was nowhere in sight, she came to where Bow-Wow lay.

"Go away! leave me!" said Bow-Wow.

"Leave you! Never!" cried the cat. "Oh! my poor dear, dear Bow-Wow! Why, you are badly hurt!"

"If I am badly hurt you are quite safe, at any rate," said Bow-Wow.

"You run away, and leave your friend to get badly hurt, do you not?"

"Ah! but is it not a good thing that I did run away?

Who would nurse you now if I were hurt too?"

There was something in that, so Bow-Wow said no more about it.

Mew-Mew began to run over the things she could do for Bow-Wow: how she would put him to bed, get him some drink, and kill a bird for him.

Bow-Wow said he would like some food, and that if he had a very fine bird, he would try to eat some of it.

Mew-Mew went off to find a fine bird.

But go where she would, up and down, not a bird could she get.

The land just there had few trees. There did not seem to be a bird in the place.