But Hooty isn’t stupid.  Not a bit of it.  The minute he found out that Blacky and his friends had discovered him, he thought of Mrs. Hooty and the two precious eggs in the old nest of Redtail the Hawk close by.

“Mrs. Hooty mustn’t be disturbed, " thought he.  “That will never do at all.  I must lead these black rascals away where they won’t discover Mrs. Hooty.  I certainly must.”

So he spread his broad wings and blundered away among the trees a little way.  He didn’t fly far because the instant he started to fly that whole noisy crew with the exception of Blacky were after him.  Because he couldn’t use his claws or bill while flying, they grew bold enough to pull a few feathers out of his back.  So he flew only a little way to a thick hemlock-tree, where it wasn’t easy for the Crows to get at him, and where the light didn’t hurt his eyes so much.  There he rested a few minutes and then did the same thing over again.  He meant to lead those bothersome Crows into the darkest part of the Green Forest and there —­ well, he could see better there, and it might be that one of them would be careless enough to come within reach.  No, Hooty wasn’t stupid.  Certainly not.

Blacky awoke to that fact as he sat in the top of a tall pine-tree silently watching.  He could see Mrs. Hooty on the nest, and as the noise of Hooty’s tormentors sounded from farther and farther away, she settled herself more comfortably and closed her eyes.  Blacky could imagine that she was smiling to herself.  It was clear that she had no intention of going to help Hooty.  His splendid plan had failed just because stupid Hooty, who wasn’t stupid at all, had flown away when he ought to have sat still.  It was very provoking.

CHAPTER VII:  Blacky Tries Another Plan

   When one plan fails, just try another;
   Declare you’ll win some way or other.

People who succeed are those who do not give up because they fail the first time they try.  They are the ones who, as soon as one plan fails, get busy right away and think of another plan and try that.  If the thing they are trying to do is a good thing, sooner or later they succeed.  If they are trying to do a wrong thing, very likely all their plans fail, as they should.

Now Blacky the Crow knows all about the value of trying and trying.  He isn’t easily discouraged.  Sometimes it is a pity that he isn’t, because he plans so much mischief.  But the fact remains that he isn’t, and he tries and tries until he cannot think of another plan and just has to give up.  When he invited all his relatives to join him in tormenting Hooty the Owl, he thought he had a plan that just couldn’t fail.  He felt sure that Mrs. Hooty would leave her nest and help Hooty try to drive away his tormentors.  But Mrs. Hooty didn’t do anything of the kind, because Hooty was smart enough and thoughtful enough to lead his tormentors away from the nest into the darkest part of the Green Forest where their noise wouldn’t bother Mrs. Hooty.  So she just settled herself more comfortably than ever on those eggs which Blacky had hoped she would give him a chance to steal, and his fine plan was quite upset.