"'No matter,' said Flaps; 'I've done my duty, at any rate, and I don't
know why I should want more than one eye to see with;' and so saying, he
went back to his post.
"The fowls made a great feast, which lasted the whole day, to celebrate
the owl's death.
"But the mice remained in the castle, and continued to increase and
multiply. So the three wise cocks had to go forth on a second voyage of
discovery, in order to try and find a remedy against the intruders.
"They flew on for a night and a day without any result; but towards
morning, on the second day, they alighted to rest in a thick wood, and
there, in one of the forest glades, just as the sun was rising, they saw
a red-coated animal watching a mouse-hole. It was a fox, who had come
out to find something for breakfast. They soon saw him catch a mouse and
eat it, and then heard him say, 'Heaven be praised for small mercies! I
have managed to secure a light breakfast at last, though I've been
hunting all night in vain.'
"'Do you hear that?' said one of the messengers. 'He considers himself
very lucky to have caught a single mouse. That's the sort of animal we
want.'
"So the cock called down from the tree--'I say! below there! Mr.
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