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CHAPTER FIVE

An Invitation to Dinner

He belonged at home with his master. Nothing mattered except this.

And he had to take his two friends with him, through wild, unknown country.

The three friends continued on their journey for the next few days with no new adventures or excitement. At night they slept in the woods, warm and comfortable under the leaves on the ground.

At first, in the day, they often stopped and rested. The old dog was too weak to go far. But he got stronger every day and after a week looked much better.

In fact, he looked younger and healthier than at the beginning of the journey. Most of the time he was happy as he walked along with his friends.

He was always hungry, but the skillful hunter, the cat, found food for him.

But the Labrador really suffered. He had very little to eat. While the other two animals were resting, he always looked for food.

When they played together, he sat away from them, nervous and uncomfortable. He could never forget his purpose: he was going home.

He belonged at home with his master. Nothing mattered except this. And he had to take his two friends with him, through wild, unknown country.

They traveled along old country roads and sometimes straight through fields and woods. On good days they walked as many as twenty-five kilometers.

The weather was fine, with warm, sunny days. This was a good thing because the bull terrier’s hair was short and thin. The Labrador’s hair was flat and thick and he never felt the cold like the old dog.

The cat was enjoying the adventure, sometimes leaving the other two for an hour or more. They didn’t worry, as he always returned.

The days were warm but the nights were cold, and the old dog suffered then. The leaves on the trees were quickly losing their color. Many of the birds of the forest started to fly to warmer places in the south.

Once they saw another bear, but it was fat and sleepy. It was sitting in the sun when the three friends saw it. It looked up lazily but wasn’t interested in them.

But the cat looked angry for about an hour after this meeting. The animals didn’t see any more human beings for days.

Then one day, when the old dog was alone, he saw an old man. The terrier loved people and his tail began to wag from side to side in welcome. The man was carrying a bag and talking quietly to himself.

When he saw the old dog, he lifted his old green hat from his white hair. He smiled kindly at the terrier and said hello. The old dog started to follow him. Soon the cat followed, too, and far behind them came the Labrador.

After about a kilometer, they arrived at a small cabin and walked through the yard to the front steps. Here the old man put his bag down and opened the green door. He then invited his new friends to come in.

The old dog walked in with the cat near his shoulder, then the man. The young dog waited outside, unsure at first, and then followed the others. A delicious, meaty smell filled the front room.

The old man hung up his hat, walked over to the fire, and put on some more wood. He washed his hands and then looked in a pot on the stove.

The three hungry animals watched him carefully. The man took four plates from a cupboard and put them on the table. As he put the food on the plates, the old dog moved nearer.

The old man sat down, looked around the table, and said, “Please, sit down.”

The three animals sat down on the floor behind him and waited patiently.

The old man ate slowly and carefully as the animals watched. Soon his plate was empty. Then he looked around the table and said, in a surprised voice, “You haven’t eaten your food!

” He looked at the three full plates thoughtfully for a long time. Then he got up, picked up one of them, and ate all the food on it.

He got up again and picked up the second plate. When that was empty, he ate the food on the third plate. His three visitors sat and watched. None of them moved.

They never jumped up on chairs and ate at the table with the Hunters or with Longridge. So they stayed politely on the floor and waited. But they felt very, very hungry.

The old man sat at the table when the last plate was empty. He was lost in his private thoughts and forgot about his visitors.

After some time a bird flew in through the window and broke the silence. The old man got up, looked around, and noticed the animals by the door. He looked surprised and smiled down at them kindly.

“You must come more often,” he said. Then he looked at the old dog. He was wagging his tail. “Please say hello to your dear mother from me!”

He opened the door for the animals. They walked out, through the yard, and into the wood, their heads down and their tails low. None of them looked back at the old man.