and no sooner had he extended his hand than a ragged waif stood on his toes and pressed into it a scraggy hen that writhed and clucked madly , trying to claw at the riders face till he , gripping the birds neck in his fist , sunk his teeth in its belly , spat out a bloody mass of skin and feather , and then dug in , sloppily devouring the hens innards while it still gave a weakening , losing struggle .