The Swan And Her Crew Part 7

The boys asked to be allowed to look at his snares. They were made of horsehair, and were set in this fas.h.i.+on:--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 coa.r.s.e gra.s.s, 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 s.h.i.+lling 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 the _Swan_ was 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 d.y.k.es, 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; "the _Swan_ sails 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. d.i.c.k 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-gra.s.ses, and many-coloured marsh gra.s.ses, which varied in sheen and tint as the wind waved them or the cloud-shadows pa.s.sed 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 d.y.k.es 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 luxuriant growth 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.

[Ill.u.s.tration: WILD DUCK.]

As the blow vibrated through the tree, the sitting bird flew off, and what do you think it proved to be? A _wild-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 d.i.c.k, "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, d.i.c.k," said Mary.

"Oh, he will be all right. You never tell me to take care, young woman,"

said Frank, laughing, while Mary blushed.

d.i.c.k 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 d.i.c.k 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 anch.o.r.ed 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 d.i.c.k how to swim, and found him an apt pupil.

CHAPTER IX.

Chameleon.--Light Coloured Eggs.--Sitting Birds have no Scent.-- Forget-me-nots.--Trespa.s.sing.--The Owner.--A Chase.--Capture.-- Pintail Duck.--Drumming of Snipe.--Swallow-tail b.u.t.terfly.-- A Perilous Adventure.

The young voyagers had by this time discovered that sailing about in the manner they were doing gave them tremendous appet.i.tes, and on this particular morning they found they had run short of bread and b.u.t.ter, so Jimmy was despatched to the little shop at Horning to procure some.

After breakfast they were lounging on deck waiting for a breeze. d.i.c.k was sprawling on the roof of the cabin basking in the sun. Frank was fis.h.i.+ng 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 gra.s.ses 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.

[Ill.u.s.tration: 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 a _resume_ of 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 movements of 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, anaesthesia, or death. The nerves which cause the corpuscles to go under the skin have the greatest a.n.a.logy 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."

[Ill.u.s.tration: CHAMELEON.]

"Now, can you tell me the plain English of that?"