Orange-TipButterfly.
Orange-TipButterfly.
Dick was a long time away; and when he came back, flushedwith exercise, he had no less than eight orange-tips in his net, which he proceeded to kill and set there and then.
They sailed on very slowly, for the breeze had fallen, until they came to the Thurne Mouth, and then they turned up the Bure until they came to St. Benedict's Abbey, the ruins of which stand on the northern bank of the river. Here they determined to camp for the night, and accordingly ran their boat into a marshy creek, and made her fast to the reeds. They were much amused at the remarks of the people whom they passed, whether on the bank or on board the wherries and yachts. The like of theSwanhad never before been seen on Norfolk waters. She was arara avis in terrisand excited any amount of appreciatory and depreciatory comment.
After making the boat snug and comfortable, the boys proceeded to cook their dinner. They brought out from the lockers some cold beef and ham, and boiled the potatoes in a small tin saucepan over the spirit-lamp. The meal was soon ready, and they sat down to it with most excellent appetites.
"Where have you put the salt, Frank?" asked Dick.
"The salt?" replied Frank, thoughtfully.
"Yes, the salt."
"Well, let me see. Dear me, we must have forgotten it."
"But Frank, how can you—how can anybody eat beef without salt?" said Jimmy reproachfully.
"Never mind, we will get some to-morrow," said Frank, looking guilty.
"There are no shops about here, and there are no salt-mines in the marsh," said Jimmy, who refused to be comforted.
"Talking about salt-mines, have you ever been down one?" said Frank, who was eager to turn the subject.
"No; have you?"
"Yes, and a jolly sort of place it is."
"Then tell us all about it as a punishment."
"It was at Northwich, in Cheshire, last year, when I was on a visit to my uncle. We drove over one day to look at the mines. They get an enormous quantity of salt from that district, and it is of two kinds, the white table salt and that dark lumpy salt they put in fields for cattle. They get the white salt from brine-pits, which are full of salt water. The water is pumped up and put into basins until it evaporates, and the white salt is left behind. There must be big holes in theearth filled with salt water, for as it is pumped away the surface of the earth caves in, and the houses lean against each other in a very tumble-down sort of fashion. The brown or rock-salt is dug out of mines, and we went down one of these. My cousin and I went down in a tub hardly large enough to hold us, and a workman clung to the rope above our heads. The shaft was dirty, narrow, and crooked, and we bumped finely against the sides. I didn't like it at all, I assure you; and when we cleared the shaft and hung suspended over a vast cavern, at the bottom of which were some dim lights, I felt rather in a funk. The man below reached up to us with a long pole, and pulled us away from the end of the shaft for fear of falling stones, and then we were lowered to the ground, and stepped out of the bucket and looked about us. We were in a very large cave, the roof of which was supported by immense square pillars of the salt rock. It was brown, of course, but it was quite translucent, and the light gleamed from it very prettily. Our guide lit a piece of magnesium-wire, and I never saw anything so magnificent in my life. The whole place seemed set with precious stones, and the dirty, half-naked men, leaning on their tools, looked as picturesque as you could well imagine. Then one of the men had finished boring a blast hole, and we waited while he filled it with powder and fired a shot. We all huddled in one corner of the cave, and then there was such a roar and smoke! The rock under our feet heaved and shook, and pieces of rock and stone flew about far too near for my liking."
"I never knew how salt was got before," said Dick.
"Nor I," said Jimmy; "and as Frank has told us so well we will forgive him for forgetting the salt."
An Eerie Night.—A Ghostly Apparition.—The Barn Owl.—A Will-o'-the Wisp.—The Ruff and Reeve.—Snaring Ruffs.—A Nest.—Wroxham Broad.—Mud-boards and Leaping-pole.—Wild Duck's Nest in a Tree.
Asthe night fell the wind rose and moaned dismally over the marsh, and black clouds covered the sky, so that the night promised to be dirtier than usual at this time of the year. Lonely marshes stretched far and wide, with nothing to break their wild monotony save the ghostlike ruins of the Abbey in the foreground. It was not a pleasant night for the boys to spend out for the first time alone, and an eerie sort of feeling crept over them in spite of their efforts to appear at ease.
At length Dick said—
"I feel as if wild beasts were prowling about on the watch for us, and that if we went to sleep we should be eaten up alive."
"So do I," admitted Frank; "but I suppose it will wear away in time. But what is that?" he exclaimed, in a startled tone, as an unearthly cry sounded among the ruins of the Abbey, and a white shape was dimly seen gliding between the broken windows.
The boys gazed in breathless silence at this apparition. The cause of their alarm, however, was made plain to them, as a white owl came forth on noiseless wings, and fluttered stealthily over the marsh. They laughed heartily at their fright, but their laugh sounded forced and unnatural. It was so weird and lonely outside, that they went into the cabin and lit the lamp, and strove to make a cheerful supper. Then they undressed and tried to make themselves comfortable for the night. Frank took the hammock, and Dick and Jimmy the berths at each side. They left the lamp burning dimly for company's sake, but they could not go to sleep. The water lapping against the planks of the yacht and amid the stems of the reeds, the wind sighing over the waste fen, andthe strange cries of the night-birds—the call of the water-hen, the hoarse bark of the coot, the cackle of wild ducks, and the host of other noises which they could not account for, kept them awake and on thequi vive.
"What's that?" said Dick, after they had been quiet for some time.
The Barn Owl and Egg.
The Barn Owl and Egg.
A noise like a clap of thunder was to be heard, repeated at regular intervals, and growing louder, as if approaching them. They rushed on deck to see what was the cause of it, and were relieved to find that it was only a belated wherry beating up to windward, her canvas flapping each time she put about on a fresh tack. The men on board of her shouted "Good night" as they passed, and after this the boys felt more comfortable, and again courted sleep. They were just dropping off, when "patter, patter," went something on deck. Some one, or some thing had boarded them, and Frank went out to see what it was. A coot had come aboard to see if there might be anything eatable there, and she flew away asFrank appeared. He looked about ere he went down again, and to his astonishment he saw a spot of light dancing about on the marshes in a place where he thought no human being could be at this hour.
"I say, Dick and Jimmy, here is a will-o'-the-wisp dancing about on the marshes."
They came quickly on deck, and watched the strange light, which now and then disappeared, and then again became visible. It now shone bright, and then faint, and an uncertain glimmer beneath it showed that it hovered over the water as well as over the marsh.
"There is no such thing asignis fatuusnowadays," said Jimmy, "so what can it be?"
"I vote we go and see," said Frank.
"You will only get bogged if you do. It is dangerous enough to walk on the marsh in the daylight, and almost impossible by night."
"It strikes me there is a narrow channel, or dyke, leading from the river, which may lead to where that light is. I saw a line of water about twenty yards off. We passed it as we were about to anchor. Let us take the boat and go up it, if you wish to see what it is," said Jimmy.
His suggestion was approved of, and they dressed and stepped into the punt, and after a little while they found the dyke and pushed their way along it. They moved cautiously and with little noise, and at last emerged upon a small open piece of water, and as they did so, the light gleamed for a moment and went out. They peered eagerly through the gloom, but could see nothing. All was silent and still, and very uncanny.
"It is no good staying here," said Frank; "let us go back and try to sleep, or we shall not be fit to be seen to-morrow when we meet the others at Wroxham."
So they rowed back, wondering what the cause of the light had been. They tumbled into their berths again and got just an hour's broken sleep before the dawn effectually aroused them. It was very early, but they had no choice but to rise and get something to eat. The morning was bright and cloudless, the lark sang merrily in the sky, waterfowl swam on the quiet stretches of the river in peaceful security, the freshness and charm which always accompanies the early dawnof day in the country had its natural effect upon them; and their spirits, which had been somewhat depressed by the uncomfortable night which they had passed, rose again to their natural height. Dick now suggested that they should again explore the windings of the creek, and try to find out the cause of the mysterious light which had so puzzled them the night before. They accordingly rowed up the lane of water as they had done the previous night, until they came to the piece of open water. Just as they were about to emerge from the narrow opening in the belt of reeds which surrounded it, Frank checked the motion of the boat by clutching hold of the reeds, and warned his companions to be silent. Looking in the direction in which he pointed, they saw the most curious bird they had ever seen, or were ever likely to see. On a little hillock on the edge of the reeds was a bird with a body like a thrush, but with long legs. It had a long beak, staring eyes, brown tufts of feathers on each side of its head, and a large flesh-coloured ruff of feathers round its neck.
"I know what that is; it is a ruff," said Jimmy.
"Yes, yes, but be quiet and watch it."
They drew back behind the green fringe of reeds and watched the movements of the ruff, for such it was. Its movements were as strange as itself. It pranced up and down on the little hillock and fluttered its wings, and uttered a defiant cry. It seemed as if it were particularly desirous of attention from one spot in the marsh, for towards that spot its glances and movements were directed. Looking more eagerly towards this spot the boys saw a smaller bird, with no ruff around her neck, and clad in sober brown. This was a female, or reeve, and the male was showing himself off before her and trying to attract her attention, while she, with the tantalising nature of her sex, appeared to be quite unconscious of his blandishments, and went on composedly picking up her breakfast from the insects and worms in the marsh. Presently another ruff appeared on the scene, and, joining his rival on the little hillock, he commenced to emulate his performances, and the two danced a war-dance in the most amusing fashion, to the great delight of the three observers. The natural consequence of this rivalry soon followed, and the two ruffs began to fight in good earnest, laying hold of each other with their bills, and striking with their wings. The one drove the other to thebottom of the hill, and was apparently master of the field; but instead of returning to his post on the top, he flew away, leaving his adversary fluttering vainly, and evidently fast by the leg. Then the rushes on the other side of the open space were pushed aside, and a man in a rude boat made his appearance, and proceeded to seize the ruff and kill it.
"The mystery of the light is explained," said Frank. "Hallo! you there, what are you doing that for?"
The man started and looked round, answering surlily,
"What's that to you?"
"Oh, don't get into a wax. We only want to know for information's sake. What will you sell that ruff for?"
"Two shillings, sir," replied the man, in a much more civil tone.
"Well, here you are. Are there many ruffs about here?"
"No, sir, I have not seen any for the last two years until this spring. They used to be common enough when I was a lad, and I have taken a score in one morning with these snares. I have seen more than a dozen together on one hill, and twice as many reeves around looking on. Those were fine times for us fowlers, those were."
The boys asked to be allowed to look at his snares. They were made of horsehair, and were set in this fashion:—A length of hair with a running noose at each end was fixed by the middle into the slit of a peg, which was then driven into the ground. A number of these were set round the base of the hill with the nooses projecting about an inch above the surface of the herbage, and as the birds were driven off the hill they were caught by them. It was necessary, the man said, to keep a strict watch on the snares, for the birds sometimes broke away, or the rats and weasels, of which there are plenty in the marshes, would be beforehand with the fowler and seize the captured birds.
"I suppose you were setting your snares last night?"
"Ay, sir," replied the man, laughing; "I heard you coming after me, so I put my light out. I did not know what sort of men you might be, and they make believe to preserve these marshes now, and it is hard work for us to get a living."
"Don't you think there may be a ruff's nest somewhere about?" said Jimmy.
"I found one this morning with four eggs in it, but they are hard sat."
"Never mind that, we can blow them, if you will show us where it is."
"Get out of the boat, then, and come into this rond; but mind how you walk. Put your foot on the roots of the reeds, or you will go up to your middle in mud directly."
The nest was made of coarse grass, and was placed in a clump of sedges. It contained four eggs of an olive-green colour, spotted with brown. As the man said that if they did not take them he should, and sell them for what they would fetch, the boys felt no hesitation in plundering the nest of all its contents, giving the man a gratuity of a shilling for showing the nest to them.
This commercial transaction completed, they returned to their yacht and made a second breakfast.
They had arranged to meet their elders at Wroxham Bridge at twelve o'clock, and spend the rest of the day sailing and pic-nicking on the Broad, so about ten o'clock they started. The breeze was light, as it generally is in the summer; and as for a portion of the way they had to beat to windward in a rather narrow channel, it took them some time to reach Wroxham.
They found that theSwanwas not so handy in tacking as a single-hulled yacht would have been, and they had to use the mizen to swing her round each time they put about. Their progress was, therefore, slower than they had calculated upon, and they did not reach Wroxham until 12.30. Their way was past Ranworth Broad and the two Hovetons, besides some smaller broads, all connected with the river by dykes, half hidden by tall reeds, and looking deliciously lonely, and inviting exploration. Although they were so close they could see nothing of the broads' surface, and their existence was only made manifest to them by the white sails of yachts which were now and then to be seen gliding hither and thither through forests of reeds.
Sir Richard, Mr. and Mrs. Merivale, Mrs. Brett, Mary and Florrie, were all waiting for them on the staithe by the bridge, and hailed their appearance with joy.
"Well, boys, we thought you were lost," said Mr. Merivale.
"No fear, father," answered Frank; "theSwansails grandly, and we have had no end of fun."
"And how did you sleep last night? Wasn't it very lonely?" said his mother.
The boys unanimously affirmed that it had been most awfully jolly, and that they had been most comfortable.
Whilst the party were embarking, Frank went to the village carpenter's and got a stout leaping-pole with a block of wood at the end, so that it might not sink into the mud when they were jumping the ditches. He also obtained a pair of mud boards to put on his feet when walking over soft ground. These were pieces of wood a foot long by eighteen inches wide, with rope loops to slip over the feet. He expected to find them useful while bird-nesting on the marshes.
They sailed at a good pace down the river, and then, while Mary was asking where the Broad was, Frank put the helm over, and they sailed through a narrow channel, on either side of which the reeds were seven feet high, and while the question was still on Mary's lips, they were gliding over the fine expanse of water which is known as Wroxham Broad.
They had a very pleasant afternoon, and as the breeze was steady and the yacht behaved herself very well, the two elder ladies lost much of the nervousness with which they had regarded the boys' expedition. Dick was much impressed with the loveliness of the Broad. On the one side the woods came down to the water's edge, and on the other the wide marsh stretched away miles on miles, with its waving reed beds, tracts of white cotton-grasses, and many-coloured marsh grasses, which varied in sheen and tint as the wind waved them or the cloud-shadows passed over them. Here and there a gleam of white showed where the river or a broad lay, but for the most part the whereabouts of water was only shown by the brown sails of the wherries, or the snow-white sails of the yachts, which glided and tacked about in a manner that seemed most mysterious, seeing that there was no water visible for them to float on.
At one end of Wroxham Broad is a labyrinth of dykes and pools, between wooded islands and ferny banks. The boys took the two girls in the punt through this charming maze, and they pushed their way through the large floating leaves of the water-lily, and the more pointed leaves of the arrowhead, gathering the many-coloured flowers which nestled amid the luxuriantgrowth of plant-life that fringed the water, stooping to avoid the trailing branches of the trees, and enjoying themselves mightily in exploring.
"Is that a crow's nest in yonder tree?" said Jimmy.
"I expect so, and there is the bird on, but her head does not look like a crow's. Hit the trunk with the oar," said Frank.
Wild Duck.
Wild Duck.
As the blow vibrated through the tree, the sitting bird flew off, and what do you think it proved to be? Awild-duck! The boys were astounded. They had heard of ducks building in hollow trees, and at some distance from water, but to build a nest on the top of a high tree seemed incredible, so Frank said he would climb up and see the eggs, but—
"Let me go," said Dick, "I have never climbed a tall tree, and it looks an easy one, although it is tall, for there are plenty of branches."
"Oh, please take care, Dick," said Mary.
"Oh, he will be all right. You never tell me to take care, young woman," said Frank, laughing, while Mary blushed.
Dick was soon up the tree, showing skill worthy of a practised climber, and rather to the surprise of his companions.
"It is a duck's nest in an old crow's nest, and there are ten eggs in," shouted Dick from his lofty perch.
"Bring two of them down then. We will write on them where they were found. I wonder how the old birds get the young ones down to the water? They can't fly for a long time after being hatched, and they must take to the water soon, or they will die."
The question which Frank put has never been satisfactorily answered.
The young ones must either perch on their mother's back, and hold on whilst they are being transported to their native element, or the old bird must seize them in her bill, like a cat does her kittens.
When the others left, the boys sailed down stream again by the light of the red sunset, and as night stole over the marshes, they anchored by Horning ferry, and so tired were they that they fell asleep the moment they laid themselves down, forgetting their fears of the night before. They turned in at ten, and none of them awoke until eight the next morning.
Before breakfast Frank and Jimmy spent some time in teaching Dick how to swim, and found him an apt pupil.
Chameleon.—Light Coloured Eggs.—Sitting Birds have no Scent.—Forget-me-nots.—Trespassing.—The Owner.—A Chase.—Capture.—Pintail Duck.—Drumming of Snipe.—Swallow-tail Butterfly.—A Perilous Adventure.
Theyoung voyagers had by this time discovered that sailing about in the manner they were doing gave them tremendous appetites, and on this particular morning they found they had run short of bread and butter, so Jimmy was despatched to the little shop at Horning to procure some.
After breakfast they were lounging on deck waiting for abreeze. Dick was sprawling on the roof of the cabin basking in the sun. Frank was fishing for roach in the clear slow stream, and Jimmy was perusing the newspaper in which the provisions had been wrapped. It was a still, lovely morning. White clouds sailed quickly across the blue sky, but there was no breeze to move the marsh grasses and reeds, or to ripple the placid stream. A lark sang merrily far above them, filling the air with melody. Small birds chirped in the sedges, and the water-hens and white-headed coots sailed busily to and fro.
Roach.
Roach.
Jimmy looked up from his paper just as Frank pulled in a good sized roach, and said,—
"Do either of you know how the chameleon changes its colour?"
Upon receiving an answer in the negative he read as follows from the paper in his hand:—
"M. Paul Bert has laid before the French Academy arésuméof the observations of himself and others on the colour-changes of the chameleon. They appear to be due to change of place of certain coloured corpuscles. When they bury themselves under the skin, they form an opaque background to the cerulescent layer, and when they distribute themselves in superficial ramifications, they either leave the skin to show its yellow hue, or give it green and black tints. The movementsof the colour corpuscles are directed by two orders of nerves, one causing their descending, and the other their ascending, motions. In a state of extreme excitation the corpuscles hide below the skin, and do so in sleep, anæsthesia, or death. The nerves which cause the corpuscles to go under the skin have the greatest analogy to vaso-constrictor nerves. They follow the mixed nerves of the limbs, and the great sympathetic of the neck, and do not cross in the spinal marrow. The nerves which bring the corpuscles upwards resemble in like manner the vaso-dilator nerves. Luminous rays belonging to the blue-violet part of the spectrum act directly on the contractile matter of the corpuscles, and cause them to move towards the surface of the skin."
Chameleon.
Chameleon.
"Now, can you tell me the plain English of that?"
"Read it again, Jimmy," said Frank.
Jimmy did so.
"Well, I am no wiser. Read it again more slowly."
Jimmy did so again.
"I give it up," said Frank. "What a thing it is to be a scientific man!"
"I take it," said Dick, rolling himself along the cabin roof towards them, "that it means that different coloured rays of light have corresponding effects upon coloured atoms in the skin of the chameleon. The rays of light will be affected by the colour of the place where the chameleon is, and the chameleon will be affected by the changed colour of the rays of light, so that if the beast were on a green lawn his colour would be green, and if on a brown tree-trunk his colour would be brown."
"That is my idea," said Jimmy; "but what is the good of using such stilted language, when the same thing might have been said in simple English?"
"I wonder why that water-hen keeps dodging about us in such a fussy manner," said Frank.
"I don't," replied Dick, "for there is her nest not a yard from our bows."
The mooring rope had parted the reeds, and discovered her nest, and Dick, on going to the bows had seen it. It contained twelve eggs, one of which was so light in colour as to be almost white, and one so small that it was only half the size of the others. Dick asked if it were because it was laid last, and if the pale one was so for a similar reason. Frank replied,—
"It may be so in this case, but it does not always happen so. Last year I tried an experiment with a robin's nest. I took out an egg each day, as it was laid, and still the bird went on laying until I let her lay her proper number, five. She laid fifteen eggs altogether, but they were all the same colour and size. So I expect that it is only an accident when the eggs are like these."
"Bell told me the other day that sitting birds have no scent," said Dick. "Is that true?"
"I am not quite sure, but I am inclined to think that they have not so strong a scent as at other times. This same robin which I have just been telling you about built in a hedge-bank close by a house, and cats were always prowling about, and I have seen puss walk right above the nest while the old bird was on. If birds would only have the sense to shut their eyes, we would often pass them over, but it is easy to see them with their eyes twinkling like diamonds."
"How pretty that clump of forget-me-nots is on the opposite bank! They seem to smile at you with their blue eyes," said Dick, who was keenly alive to all that was beautiful. "But what is that flower a little lower down, right in the water, with thick juicy stems and blue flowers. Is that a forget-me-not?"
"No, it is a brooklime, but it is one of the speedwells. There are more than a dozen sorts of speedwells, but the forget-me-not is the prettiest. Another name for the forget-me-not is water-scorpion, but it is too ugly a name for so pretty a plant," said Jimmy, full of his recent learning.
Redbreast and Egg.
Redbreast and Egg.
"Here comes a breeze at last," cried Frank, as their blue flag fluttered, and the reeds in the surrounding marsh bent their heads together and sighed. "Shall we explore Ranworth Broad?"
"Yes, but let us take Hoveton Great Broad first, and then we can go to Ranworth as we come back," answered Jimmy.
So they hoisted sail, and glided up stream with a freshening breeze, while swallows dipped in the river and whirled aboutthem as they passed. While they were sailing steadily along with a breeze on their starboard beam, the flag became fouled in the block through which the halyard of the mainmast was rove, and Jimmy was sent up to put matters right. He clambered up the mast as nimbly as a monkey, and shook loose the flag from its ignominious position. When he had finished this he looked about him, and from his greater height he could see much further than his companions, whose view was limited by the tall reeds which shut in almost every portion of the rivers and broads. The boys did not know that they were near any of the latter, but Jimmy saw on their left hand a sheet of water sparkling in the sun and studded with many reedy islands. He cried out,—
"There is such a jolly broad to leeward! It looks so quiet and still, and there are no end of water-fowl swimming about in it. A little further on I can see a channel leading to it just wide enough for our yacht. What do you say to paying it a visit?"
His friends had not the least objection. Its being unknown to them was an additional reason for their including it in their voyage of discovery. Jimmy said he should stay on his lofty perch for a time and take the bearings of the country, but as they neared the entrance to the broad and turned off before going down the narrow channel, the boom swung further out, and the jerk dislodged Jimmy, who was only saved from falling by clutching at the shrouds, down which he came with a run. They surged along through the dyke with the reeds brushing their bulwarks, and tossing and swaying in the eddies which followed their wake, and after several twistings and windings they emerged upon the broad.
At the entrance to it was a pole with a notice-board upon it, which stated that the broad belonged to Mr. ——, and that any persons found trespassing upon it would be prosecuted.
"Hallo! do you see that?" said Dick.
"Yes, I see it," replied Frank, "but we could not turn back in that narrow channel, and now that we are on the broad we may as well sail about a bit. What a number of water-fowl there are!"
"I know Mr. —— by sight," said Jimmy. "He has a big blue yacht."
The little lake was so picturesque with its islands and "ronds"and broad floating lily-leaves, that the boys sailed about for some time before they thought of leaving it, and when they turned their faces again towards the river, what was their surprise to see a large yacht creeping along the connecting canal between them and the river. The reeds hid the body of the yacht from them, but its sails betokened that it was one of considerable size.
The boys wondered who it could be who had thought of paying the sequestered little broad a visit, never for a moment thinking of the owner, when the yacht shot out into the open water, and lo! it was a 'big blue yacht.'
Yacht.
Yacht.
"It is Mr. ——," said Jimmy.
"Now we shall get into a row for trespassing," said Dick.
"They have got to catch us first. If we can only dodge them, and get on to the river again, we can show them a cleanpair of heels," said Frank, taking a pull at the sheet and trying to creep up to windward of the dyke. The blue yacht, however, stood by so as to meet them, and Frank saw, by the way she went through the water, even when her sails were hauled almost flat, that she could beat the Swan in sailing to windward. A gentleman stood up in the strange yacht and called out,—
"Bear, up alongside, you young rascals, and give me your names and addresses. I shall summon you for trespassing."
"Not if I know it," said Frank, bringing theSwansharply round on her heel, and scudding away before the wind, followed by the other in full chase.
"Now, Jimmy and Dick, stand by the sheets, and when we get opposite the bottom of that long island, we will bring her sharp round the other side, and then they can't get across and meet us, and then we'll cut and run for the dyke."
They executed this manœuvre very neatly, but the other was too quick for them, and instead of following them round the island, they turned back and made for the mouth of the dyke to intercept them, and at a much better angle of the wind than that at which theSwanhad to sail.
"We shall come into collision," said Jimmy, as he took a hearty pull at the mizen sheet. "We cannot both get through the dyke."
"Never mind. We'll cram her at it. Stand by with the boat-hook to push the blue 'un off, Dick!" but as Dick stood ready with the boat-hook to push off, a man stood in the other yacht with his boat-hook to pull them in, and as Dick pushed, his adversary pulled. The two boats ran alongside for a few yards, and then were jammed together at the mouth of the creek, and Mr. —— stepped on board.
"Now what is the meaning of this?" he exclaimed angrily.
"We came into the broad out of curiosity, sir," said Frank; "and we could not see the notice-board until we were in the broad, and then we thought we might as well take a turn round before going out, but we are sorry you have caught us."
"Oh, are you really! Well, I want to preserve the broad for wild-fowl, so I don't like it to be disturbed; but where did you get this strange boat built?"
"We built it ourselves," answered the boys,—and then in reply to the inquiries, they told him all about it, and their object, and by the time all was explained to him they foundthat he was a very jolly sort of fellow, and he found that they were very pleasant, unaffected lads, and the end of it was that they lunched with him on board his yacht, and had full permission to go on the broad whenever they liked.
Frank's attention was arrested by a pretty, light grey duck swimming about in the centre of the broad.
"Is that a pintail duck?" he inquired of Mr. ——.
"Yes, and the only one on the broad, I am sorry to say. Its mate has been killed, and my man found the deserted nest with four eggs in it, among the reeds on the other side of the broad. If he has not taken it you may have it."
His man had not taken it, and in a few minutes the boys were the possessors of the eggs of this rare duck. The nest and eggs were of the usual duck type, and did not correspond in any degree with the extreme prettiness of the duck, which, with its mottled grey back and red-brown head and neck, is as fair to look at as it is good to eat.
The yachts were disengaged from their position without any damage, and the boys took leave of their entertainer with a cheer, and made for the river again.
"I hope all our adventures will end as nicely as that one," said Dick.
The wish was echoed by the others; but that very day they had an adventure which startled them considerably, and might have had very serious and fatal consequences. But of this anon.
Presently Dick said,—"I have noticed whenever we see a mud-bank that it is almost sure to be perforated by a number of small holes. What is the reason of that?"
"Oh, that is done by the snipes, when boring in search of food. Woodcocks will do it as well, and the woodcock's upper bill is so long and flexible that it can twist and turn it about in the mud with the greatest ease," answered Frank, who was always ready with an answer on ornithological subjects.
By and by Dick was observed to be looking all about with a very puzzled and curious air, peeping into the cabin, and scrutinizing the deck and the banks with the utmost attention.
"What is the matter, Dick?" said Jimmy at length.
"What on earth is that buzzing noise? It seems to be close to us, and I can't find out the cause of it. I did not like to ask before—it seemed so simple. Is it a big bee, or wasp, or what?"
Frank and Jimmy laughed heartily, and the former said,—
"Look up in the air, Dick."
Dick did so, and saw a bird which he knew to be a snipe, hovering somewhat after the manner of a kestrel, or windhover, as the country people sometimes call it. It was evident now that the noise came from it, but how was it produced, and why?
Frank could not answer either of these questions. It was a habit of the snipes in breeding time to rise and 'drum' in that way.
Common Snipe.
Common Snipe.
"No doubt he does it for a lark, and no doubt he thinks he does it as well as a lark, but no one seems to be sure how the noise is produced. The general opinion seems to be that it is caused by a vibration of the tail-feathers."
"Look!" cried Dick excitedly, diving into the cabin for his butterfly net. Over the marsh there fluttered one of thegrandest of English butterflies, the swallow-tail. Large in size, being about four inches across the wings, which are of a pale creamy-yellow, barred and margined with blue and black, velvety in its appearance, and with a well-defined 'tail' to each of its under wings, above which is a red spot, the swallow-tail butterfly is one of the most beautiful of all butterflies. It is rare save in its head-quarters, which are the fens of Norfolk and Cambridge, and is justly considered a prize by a young collector. Frank immediately ran the yacht ashore, and Dick jumped out and rushed at the gorgeous insect with his net. Alas! he struck too wildly and missed it, and it rose in the air and flew far away, leaving Dick lamenting. Frank laughed and said,—
"Ah, you went at it too rashly. You should have given it him with more of thesuaviter in modoand less of thefortiter in re. Here comes another. Let me have a try!"
Swallow-tail Butterfly.
Swallow-tail Butterfly.
Dick yielded up possession of the net to him, and he advanced slowly and cautiously to where the swallow-tail was sunning himself on an early tuft of meadow-sweet, which the warm weather had tempted to bloom earlier than usual, and to perfume the air with its strong fragrance on the last day of May.
Frank's approach had too much of thesuaviter in modo, for the butterfly flew away long before he reached it. Frank forgot all about thesuaviter in modothen. He dashed after it at the top of his speed, making frantic dashes at it with his net, and jumping over soft ground, with utter disregard to all dangerous places. He followed it for some distance, and then he suddenly disappeared, and to their dismay they heard him shouting loudly for help.
"He has got into a bog-hole," said Jimmy, "come along as fast as you can."
They ran with breathless speed to where he had disappeared, and so deceptive are distances on flat surfaces, that they were surprised to see how far he had gone. When they reached him they saw him up to his waist in the soft bog, whose bright vivid green would have shown its danger had he not been too eager in his pursuit of the butterfly to notice it. He was rapidly sinking deeper into the mud, which held him fast with cruel tenacity, and sucked him further into its horrid embrace the more he struggled to get out of it. He had taken a big jump right into the very middle of it, and he was too far from them to reach their hands. His face was pale, but he was cool and collected.
"All right," he said, "don't be frightened. I've got the butterfly, and if you will do what I tell you, I will soon get out of this fix. Dick, do you run to the yacht and get a rope, and you, Jimmy, get some reeds, and pitch them to me to put under my arms, and keep me from sinking further into this fearful mess."
Dick sped off like an arrow, and Jimmy tore up a bundle of reeds and threw them to his friend, who had now sunk up to his shoulders, and as the reeds broke beneath his weight he sunk deeper still.
"I hope Dick won't be long, or it will be all up with me, Jimmy," he said, and brave as he was, he could not keep his lips from quivering. Jimmy was in an agony of excitement. He took off his coat, and threw one end of it to Frank, but he could not reach him. Then he did what even raised a smile on Frank's face, imminent as was his danger. He took off his trousers and threw one leg to Frank, retaining the other in his hand. Pulling hard at this improvised rope, he held Frank up until Dick came tearing up with the rope trailing behind him.
"Thank God!" said Frank, and Jimmy then knew by his fervent tone how great he knew the danger had been. Clinging to the rope, he was hauled out by his companions, and so tightly did the mud hold him, that it took all their strength to drag him out. They walked slowly and quietly back to the yacht, and Frank changed his clothes, and lay down and was very quiet for some time, and they none of them recovered their usual spirits for some time after this occurrence.
The butterfly was set, and ever afterwards kept apart in Dick's collection as a memento of this time.
Before they went home again they had got several specimens of this handsome butterfly, and still better, they discovered numbers of the bright green caterpillars and chrysalides on the meadow-sweet and wild carrot, which grew in the marsh, and so were able to breed several fine specimens, enough for their own collection and for exchange.
Moonlight.—Instinct and Reason.—Death's Head Moth.—Bittern.—Water-rail.—Quail.—Golden Plover.—Hen-Harrier and Weasel.—Preserving Bird-skins.
Theyanchored that night just inside Hoveton Great Broad. The moon rose large and round, and lake and marsh slept still in her mellow light. The boys sat on deck watching the reflection of the moon in the water, and listening to the cries of the night-birds around them and the splash of the fish in the shallow margins. Dick said,—
"Is it not wonderful that the butterfly knows on which plant she is to lay her eggs? How does the swallow-tail know that she must lay them on the wild carrot or on the meadow-sweet; the death's-head moth on the potato; and the white butterfly on the cabbage? How is it that they select these plants, seeing that it is all strange and new to them? It is very wonderful!"
"Yes," said Jimmy, "and it cannot be reason, because they can have no facts to reason from, so it must be instinct."
"Well, I don't like talking anything like cant, and you won't accuse me of that if I say that it seems to me that instinct is a personal prompting and direction of God to the lower animals for their good, and I don't believe we think of that enough," said Dick.