No, I am afraid he won't for he is shaking his head
and pointing at me and here they come. The farmer is holding out
his hand as if he had something in it for me to eat. Oh, no, Mr.
Farmer, I am too old a goat to be caught with chaff. However, I
will stand still on this side of the stream and see what they
will do."
And there Billy stood with his head raised waiting for them and
he made as fine a picture of a goat as you ever saw, standing on
a little green knoll with the silvery stream running at his feet.
The circus-man was delighted with him for he was almost twice
the size of any other goat he had ever seen, and he thought how
fine he would look dressed up as a professor with his long, silky
beard.
By this time the men were directly opposite Billy and he noticed
that the circus-man kept his hands behind him all the time, but
presently he drew them forward and in one he held a rope with a
long loop in it.
"So, ho," thought Billy, "he expects to tie that rope around my
neck, does he? Well, let him cross the stream and catch me
first."
But while Billy was thinking this the circus-man was making the
rope fly round and round his head in a long circle, and soon with
a quick twist, the rope straightened out and the loop fell over
Billy's head and settled on his neck while he stood looking at
them.
Pages:
58
59
60
61
62
63
64
65
66
67
68
69
70
71
72
73
74
75
76
77
78
79
80
81
82