Prince pricked up his ears.
"I have heard something like that before," thought he. "It never did me any harm."
So he stood very still as the band went past.
After the parade had gone by, they started toward home.
"Prince seems not to be afraid of anything," said mother.
As they drove along, Bobby was silent for a long time.
At last he said, "I know what this is like, mother."
"What is it like?" asked mother.
"To market, to market, to buy a fat pig. Home again, home again, jiggity jig."
"Only this time," said mother, "it is, To market, to market, to buy some new shoes. Home again, home again, what is the news?"
It was almost dark by the time they passed the little red school house.
Suddenly in the road ahead there appeared a strange object, coming straight toward them. It sounded something like a steam engine. "Chug, chug, chug, chug," it went.
In its face were two great glaring eyes.
"I never saw one of those before," thought Prince, "but I shall not jump."
[Illustration: "'Whoa, Prince, steady, Prince,' said she"]
On it came toward them very fast.
Just as it was almost there, it went "honk! honk! honk!"
Prince pricked up his ears. Mother held tight to the reins. "Whoa, Prince; steady, Prince," she said.
Prince did not mean to jump, but he had never seen anything like that before and he was just a little scared. Just then the strange thing went "honk, honk," close to his ears, as it went whizzing past.
Before they had time to think, jump went Prince to one side, which made Baby Betty slide off from the seat.
"What was that?" asked Bobby.
But mother did not answer, for Prince was pulling hard on the lines and going along very fast.
"It must have been a dragon," thought Bobby.
Though mother pulled on the reins as hard as she could, Prince did not slow up, for he was a strong-bitted horse and did not mind mother's pulling. He went fast all the way home.
When he reached home, Prince just slowed up of his own accord and went trotting slowly into the yard.
Father was waiting by the horse-block to help them out.
"What fine new shoes!" he said. "What is the news?"
"Prince jumped and ran when he saw the dragon," said Bobby.
"The dragon?" said father. "Did you see a dragon?"
"Yes," said Bobby, "and it hissed and sputtered and went 'squawk, squawk,' very loud and had two great big eyes."
"Oh, that must have been one of those horseless carriages," said father.
Bobby shook his head.
"I am quite sure it was a dragon," said he. "Prince thought so too."
[Illustration: HOW ROVER SAVED _the_ HOUSE]
XIV
It was a cold winter's night at Cloverfield Farm. Outdoors the snow lay deep on the ground. The cows and the horses were warm in the Old Red Barn. The hens and chickens were safe in the warm hen house. The pigs were snug and warm in the pig pen.
Inside the house a big fire was burning merrily in the sitting-room stove. A fire was burning in the kitchen range.
All the family had gone to bed. Rover had been allowed to sleep in the kitchen that night instead of in the cold wood shed.
In the middle of the night the wind blew hard and made the kitchen fire roar up the chimney. It became hot--so hot that the wood around the chimney began to smoke and burn.
All the family were asleep upstairs. They did not smell the smoke. They could not see the flames.
But Rover was awakened by the smell of smoke and the crackling of the fire. The smoke made his eyes smart. He knew that something was wrong, so he began to bark.
But nobody heard him and nobody came. Then he ran into the dining-room and barked, but nobody heard him and nobody came.
He went to the door of the hall which had been left open just a little.
Up the stairs, barking and barking, went Rover.
Farmer Hill heard him, and thought, "What is Rover barking for?" Mrs.
Hill heard him and said, "Something must be the matter. Let's go and see." John heard him and jumped up and ran down stairs. Farmer Hill and Mrs. Hill ran down stairs.
Then they smelled the smoke and saw the fire.
Mrs. Hill grabbed a pail of water and threw it on the fire.
Mr. Hill went to the cistern pump and pumped a pail of water and threw it on the fire.