The Swan And Her Crew Part 12

"I will," said Frank, and up he went hand over hand among the thick boughs. As he neared the top, he was obliged to proceed more cautiously, for the branches were thin, and the tree swayed in the wind.

All doubts as to the kind of nest were speedily dissolved, for with a cry of rage, a sparrow-hawk came das.h.i.+ng up, and flew in circles around the tree, screaming angrily, and making fierce attacks at the invader of its home. Frank, nothing daunted, continued his upward way, and soon was able to see into the nest.

"There are four young ones," he cried.

[Ill.u.s.tration: SPARROW-HAWK.]

"What a pity," said Jimmy. "If they had only been eggs! Look sharp and come down, Frank, you are swinging about so much that it does not seem safe up there."

But Frank answered nothing, and remained on his perch.

"What is the matter, Frank?"

"I am thinking about something."

"A tree-top is a funny place to think. Here is the other hawk coming to pay you a visit, and it is the female. She will be more savage than the other, and may attack you."

"No fear," said Frank, but at that moment both hawks made a sudden onslaught upon him, and the female struck him so savagely, that she tore a big gash in his cheek. He was so startled at this unexpected and hostile measure that he lost his hold and fell. When d.i.c.k and Jimmy saw their leader cras.h.i.+ng through the branches, and turning over and over as he fell, they could not repress a shriek, and closed their eyes to shut out the horrible accident that must happen. They waited in fearful suspense for the expected thud, but not hearing it, they ventured to look up again, and saw Frank lying on a thickly spreading branch not far below the nest. He was lying quite still, but clutching hold of the boughs with his hands. Both d.i.c.k and Jimmy flew to the tree, and commenced to climb it. With a speed that seemed wonderful to them afterwards they reached Frank.

"Are you hurt, old man?"

"Not at all, only all the wind is knocked out of me. I shall be all right in a minute. I say, if my mater saw that tumble, she would not let me go out alone any more, would she? That hawk was a plucky bird. I am going up to the nest again."

"What for? I should think you have had enough of hawks' nests for a long time."

"Yes, but I want to take two of the young ones. Two of them are much larger than the others, so they must be females. Now I'll tell you what struck me before the bird knocked me off my perch. Suppose we take these young hawks, and train them up in the way they should go--that is, let us use them for hawking."

"It is a good idea and no mistake--but can we do that?"

"Easily," answered Frank, gathering himself together, and resuming his ascent.

"What a cool fellow he is," said d.i.c.k to Jimmy. "He does not seem to know what danger is."

"He does not choose to show it, if he does. But let us go up and help him with the hawks."

The young hawks were fully fledged and nearly ready to fly. They were fierce enough now, but Frank said he would undertake to tame them, and fit them for hawking before the winter, if the other boys would help him. The idea of reviving that famous old sport was a very fascinating one, and they determined to do their best to carry it out, with what result will afterwards be seen. In the meantime it was a difficult matter to dispose of the birds. They tied strings to their legs, and kept them in the cabin, feeding them, and taking as much care of them as if they were babies, until they came to Norwich, when they sent them to Bell, who took care of them until their return.

After taking the hawks to the boat, the boys went back to the wood and separated, so that they might cover more ground. Suddenly peals of laughter were heard coming from the corner of the wood. Frank, pus.h.i.+ng aside the branches to get a clearer view, was surprised to see d.i.c.k staring at a thick Scotch fir, holding his sides, and laughing until the tears ran down his cheeks. Frank hastened up to him to see where the fun was. d.i.c.k could only point, for he was too far gone for speech. Frank looked in the direction he pointed, and immediately burst into a fit of laughter far more uproarious than d.i.c.k's. Jimmy, running up as fast as he could, saw both his friends laughing and capering like mad.

"What on earth is the matter? Have you both gone crazy?" They pointed to the Scotch fir. Jimmy looked, and immediately fell a roaring with laughter as hard as the others.

[Ill.u.s.tration: LONG-EARED OWL.]

This is the explanation. On a horizontal bough of the tree were seated six young long-eared owls. They were fully fledged, but unable to fly, and according to their custom they had left their nest and were perched together on this branch waiting for their parents to feed them. They looked most extremely absurd and ridiculous as they sat, each on one foot swaying to and fro after their manner on the bough, and gravely winking their large brown eyes at the intruders. It is impossible to give any idea of the comicality of the scene any more than it is possible to give a true description in words of the grotesque gestures of a clown. Of this owl Morris says,--

"It is readily tamed, and affords much amus.e.m.e.nt by the many grotesque att.i.tudes it a.s.sumes, to which its ears and eyes give piquancy. It may often be detected that a small orifice is left through which it is peeping when its eyes would seem to be shut, and it has the singular faculty of being able to close one eye while the other is not shut, so that it may appear wide awake on one side while apparently asleep on the other, or if asleep, may be so literally with one eye open. The ears are raised by excitement; at other times they are depressed."

[Ill.u.s.tration: COMMON PARTRIDGE.]

On its head this owl has two tufts of feathers which look like donkey's ears, and give it its name. It is common in many parts of England, and frequents thick fir-woods, where it builds in old nests of crows and hawks, or even squirrels, which it lines with wool, and in which it lays two or three round white eggs.

Jimmy sadly wanted to take one of the young ones home, but the hawks were as much as they could manage in the yacht, and after all, the owl would be of no use to them, and it might die, so they reluctantly left the birds on their perch to snore in peace.

[Ill.u.s.tration: EGG OF COMMON PARTRIDGE.]

"What is that partridge calling for?" said Frank.

"I can't think," answered Jimmy. "It seems to come from the top of that haystack, but that is a very unlikely place for a partridge in the breeding season."

"I will go up and see," said d.i.c.k, "if you will give me a back." They soon lifted him up, and as they did so, a French or red-legged partridge flew off.

"Here is her nest with ten eggs in it," cried d.i.c.k, "what an extraordinary spot for a nest." And so it was, but not altogether singular, for the partridge has been known to build in a hollow tree, and in other unlikely situations.

Leaving the wood, they proceeded up a small stream which empties itself into the Waveney. As they advanced, a sandpiper took short flights in front of them. It was presently joined by another, and the two seemed so uneasy, that the boys concluded that their nest could not be far off.

They therefore set to work to examine every likely spot with great care.

d.i.c.k was the one who found it, in fact he very nearly trod upon it. Four cream-coloured eggs with brown spots, very much pointed and very large for the size of the bird, lay in a hollow in a gravelly bank, upon a few pieces of dry gra.s.s and leaves, the birds' apology for a nest. The sandpipers flew over head, uttering their cry of "weet, weet, weet,"

with great anxiety, and they looked so pretty, that the boys felt sorry for them, and only took two of their eggs.

The summer snipe, as this bird is also called, is well known to everyone who wanders by the side of streams or lakes. Its white stomach contrasts so prettily with its dusky back, and it walks so merrily about the water-edge, trotting over the lily leaves, and taking short flights before the angler, that it is one of my favourite birds, the kingfisher and the water-ouzel being the other two.

Jimmy had gone off up a small ravine thickly covered with underwood, in search of a fern or two which he expected to find there. He had not been gone long before they heard him give a loud shout, and turning towards the spot, they saw a woodc.o.c.k float out of a covert with that owl-like flight which it sometimes affect.

"Here is its nest," shouted Jimmy.

This news was sufficient to make the boys rush at once to the place where Jimmy stood.

On the ground under a holly-bush was the nest, with four eggs in it, of a dirty yellowish white, spotted with pale brown.

[Ill.u.s.tration: COMMON SANDPIPER.]

"Well," said Frank, "I think we have had an uncommonly good day."

"So do I," replied Jimmy, "and I feel uncommonly hungry. Don't you?"

"It seems to me that we do nothing but eat," observed d.i.c.k.

"I should like to go to bed soon. I am tired, and my ribs ache from my tumble," said Frank.

CHAPTER XIII.

A Grizzly Bear.--Gossamers.--Strike only on the Box.

After Frank's cuts and bruises were plastered up, the boys turned into their berths and were soon fast asleep. Now the hawks had been placed in a corner at the foot of Jimmy's berth, and crouched together quiet and sullen. The foot of Jimmy's bed was only about six inches from them, and as he turned and twisted in his sleep, he pushed his foot out of the bottom of the bed, exposing his toes within tempting reach of the young hawks' talons. The natural consequence followed. One of the birds seeing this capital chance of avenging himself on his enemies, seized fast hold of Jimmy's big toe with his sharp beak. Jimmy jumped up with a loud yell, and hitting his forehead against the roof of the cabin fell down again on the floor. Frank, hearing a noise, started up not more than half awake, and fell out of his hammock on to the top of Jimmy, whom he seized by the throat. d.i.c.k awoke from a dream of Arctic exploration, and cried out,--

"Is that a grizzly bear?"