Hollowdell Grange Part 7

"I wonder what time it is?" said Philip.

"Seven," said Harry, "I know. Let's get down to the village and get the bottle at old Perkins's, and then it will be time to go home to breakfast. Oh! what a jolly morning!"

They were soon abreast of the stones again where the path led down to the village, and just then the distant church clock struck.

"Told you so," said Harry, counting. "One--two--three--four--five-- six--seven--_eight_!"

The boys stared at one another quite aghast, and then, taking their cue from Harry, started off full speed towards home, forgetting everything but the idea of getting back in time for breakfast.

When they entered the breakfast-room, nearly breathless, but with sparkling eyes and glowing cheeks, both Mr and Mrs Inglis looked rather serious; but the boys seemed so bright and happy that they had not the heart to be cross with them, though the second cup of coffee was being poured out, and the Squire loved punctuality; and though Mrs Inglis had been into the boys' bedrooms and seen the mischief they had done.

"Come, boys; come, boys," said Mr Inglis, cheerily; "this won't do; you won't last till night. Why, we're going down to get enough specimens to start the salt-water aquarium; and Jem Baines, from the station, brought the gla.s.s last night. It came down from London by the goods train.

There it is," he continued, pointing to an enormous inverted bell-gla.s.s standing upon a block of ebony fitted for its reception.

But the boys were too hungry to do more than glance at the crystal bell, though Harry, with his mouth full, did say something that sounded very much like "booty," though he evidently meant it for beauty. However, it was excusable, as any of my young readers will say if they consider that Harry had been up four hours, and out in the fresh air of the bright summer morning.

CHAPTER SIX.

DOWN BY THE SEA.

"Now, boys," said the Squire, when the breakfast was over, "time flies.

Harry, you tell Sam to bring the dog-cart round. Philip and Fred, you help me to get the jars and bottles into the hall."

This was soon done, and, the cart coming round, it was packed with the different odds and ends that naturalists take with them when going to the sea-side; and also with those agreeable refreshments taken by all people, whether naturalists or not, when they antic.i.p.ate being by the rocks and shingle for a few hours in the fresh sea-breeze. The boys then eagerly took their places, the horse leaped to the light shake of the reins given by the Squire, Sam left its head, Mamma waved her handkerchief from the porch, the gate was pa.s.sed, and away they went bowling over the hard road, and past, green trees, hedges, and fields, with the sweet smell of new-turned hay borne on the morning breeze, while the sky above seemed clearer and brighter than ever.

"Now, boys, which way shall we go; down by the marsh, or along the upland at once to the rocks?"

"Oh, through the marsh, Papa!" said Harry; "and then you can drive along the sands to the rocks. It is so nice and quiet riding along the sands."

"Yes," said his father; "but how about old Tom, here? He won't like dragging all you great fellows through the heavy sand; will you, Tom?"

Old Tom on hearing his master's cheery voice gave his head a toss, as much as to say, "I should think not," and then trotted along faster than ever, making the wheels spin round, and the dust fly in a cloud behind them.

And now they began to leave the woods behind: the hedges began to get scarcer and shorter, and at last they were out in the marsh--a marsh no longer, but a large and far spreading plain, divided by broad drains and ditches, and dotted over with enormous cattle grazing in the rich fat gra.s.s; while here and there the land seemed waving in the gentle breeze as it lightly pa.s.sed over the bending crops of wheat, oats, rye, and barley. Here and there were farmhouses scattered at wide interval while in the distance stood a church with a few houses cl.u.s.tered round it, and towards this point Fred could now see that the road tended. Soon they could see the high bank that guarded the marsh from the ravages of the sea in its angry moments; and away to the right the beetling cliffs, with the downs running up to the summits, and ending in a sheer precipice three or four hundred feet deep, at whose foot it was said a man-of-war had once been wrecked, and all souls drowned. Down beneath the cliff, too, were the rocks of every fantastic shape or form, now with the water just gently lapping their weed-hung sides, but in stormy weather covering them with foam as it alternately showed their grim and jagged shapes, or hid them from view. Woe, then, to the unfortunate vessel that came amongst them, for the pitiless waves would lift it up bodily, and then dash it down upon the cruel stones, shivering it to pieces, and sending the splintered fragments to beat against the tall cliffs or strew the sh.o.r.e! But the sea was now placid and beautiful, with the sun making his beams glance off the heaving waves in far spreading rays, while the tiny retiring wavelets left their marks upon the sand in little ripple-marks, covered all over with the casts thrown-up by the sea-worms.

Old Tom had no heavy drag over the sands, for the boys were down in an instant, racing over the flat surface, while Mr Inglis drove gently on towards the rocks, where he drew up the car, took out Tom, secured him to the wheel, and left him at last with his nose-bag on, under the shadow of the rocks, nibbling his corn, and whisking the flies away with his long tail. His master then took a bottle or two, and a couple of hand-nets and a hammer, and walked down towards the water's edge. Soon the boys joined him, loaded already; for there were such heaps of treasures--long razor sh.e.l.ls, whelk and c.o.c.kle sh.e.l.ls, limpets, mussels, periwinkles, star-fish in the pools, seaweed of all shapes and colours, shrimps; while all over the sand where they stood, busy sea-lice were hopping about in myriads.

Mr Inglis sent the boys for another gla.s.s jar or two, and an iron bar that lay at the bottom of the cart; and then down they went towards low-water mark, and searched amid the rocky pools till the Squire found one to his satisfaction, when he stopped.

"Now, Fred," he said, "you shall see what wondrous things there are in a little pool, by the sea-side."

And now, peering down into the clear, still water, they looked into a little submarine forest of weeds--nay, of beautiful branching miniature trees; while on the rocks were what seemed to Fred like flowers of the most beautiful colours.

"Now, Fred," said Mr Inglis, "fill your jar with water, and pick that fine fellow off the rock."

"It won't bite, will it?" said Fred, nervously, for he felt somehow that it was not what it seemed.

"Bite? no!" laughed his cousins; "look here," and Harry turned up his sleeve and touched the beautifully tinted petals.

In a moment they were gone, and in their place a dull-looking thing, like a piece of soaking wet leather. At the solicitations of his cousins, however, and following their example, Fred soon had several dull, dumpy-looking discs in his jar. But now their attention was called to Mr Inglis, who had found a specimen of the brittle star-fish, which soon showed its right to the name by throwing off a couple of ray-like arms. Next there were pinky-looking sea-slugs to gaze upon; and at last, under a stone which Mr Inglis turned over with the iron bar, such a myriad of objects for wonder and admiration, that all eyes were directed to the different specimens, while every ear was open to drink in the descriptions given by Mr Inglis. One of the curiosities was a long, thin black ribbon, coiled and twisted about in all sorts of awkward bends and curves; and this Mr Inglis told them was a curious worm that lay with one end--the tail--firmly anch.o.r.ed to a stone, while with the head it seized the first thing that touched it as it swam by.

Then would begin a struggle, the trapped one darting off, and dragging to get away; while the worm, tough, thin, and pliant as a fishing-line, let it play about till tired out, when the thin, black-looking monster would quietly swallow his prey, boa-constrictor fashion, till nothing was visible of it but a large k.n.o.b in the worm's thin body. Then there were polypes; hermit-crabs with their tails in cast-off sh.e.l.ls; tiny sh.e.l.l-fish tightly clinging to the stones; boring sh.e.l.ls, weeds, and tangles, swarming with innumerable tiny living forms; and so at last bottles and jars were as well filled as was possible with treasures enough to afford them amus.e.m.e.nt for the next month.

They were all so busy that they did not notice the return of the tide; but there is was, creeping slowly, surely, and silently in; and all at once in came a fresh supply of water to the little pool, and showed our visitors how soon it would be covered by the coming waters. And so they had to retreat before the tide, like King Canute is said to have done, years ago. They took all their treasures to the car; and then set to work to unpack the basket which Mamma had prepared for the trip. And, oh, how they enjoyed that meal, sitting as they were upon the sands, with the cloth spread between them! There never was such delicious cold chicken before, nor yet such ham, such currant and raspberry and cherry tart, such a bottle of cream, that wouldn't come out, it was so thick, but had to be poked forth with a fork. Everything was delicious, down to the lemonade in the big bottle, although it had grown rather warm through standing in the sun. Altogether it was a glorious repast, eaten as it was on that delightful day, the dimpling sea spreading out before them as far as the eye could reach, with here and there a white sail like a speck upon the vast expanse.

At last the lunch or dinner was ended, and then there was plenty more to do and see. There was the old man sitting in his donkey-cart, very stupidly as Fred thought, driving it along in the shallow water; but when they came nearer they could see there were a couple of ropes dragging behind; and just as they came up, out drove the old man very slowly, and the two ropes at the tail of the cart dragged forth a long shrimping-net, in which, for the first time, Fred saw hundreds upon hundreds of the curious-looking crustaceans crawling about, black and ugly, and in company with numbers of little silvery fish, which the old man threw out, whereupon they shuffled their little bodies down out of sight in the wet sand. Fred was about to rake them out again, but a word of warning restrained him, for they were the little sticklebacks of the sea, only their p.r.i.c.kles made wounds of a poisonous nature that were a long time getting well.

Mr Inglis bought a basketful of the shrimps, although Fred said they were black ones and not good; but he changed his mind when they came up for tea, hot and red, and steaming from cook's saucepan.

Then the old man drove in again to his shrimping, and our party stopped to examine the jelly-fish, like gla.s.s paper-weights, which were left upon the sand, while Mr Inglis pointed out two or three which had been left by the morning tide, and were now dried up to a thin, filmy skin.

There was plenty to see. On the cliffs there was samphire in abundance, which they could easily gather, without hanging half-way down like Shakespeare's samphire-gatherer. They picked a good bunch for cook to pickle; and collected so many things of all sorts and kinds that Papa at last cried, "Hold, enough!" for poor Tom would never be able to get everything home. Pockets, baskets, handkerchiefs, even thing was full.

There were perforated stones; sh.e.l.ls of all kinds; sea-weeds; dry star-fish; pieces of jet; bright pebbles; smooth pearly pieces of oyster-sh.e.l.l; tiny pebbles bright and glistening; in short, such a collection of treasures that Mr Inglis looked at his watch and declared it was time to go, for they would have to travel slowly on account of the live specimens. One thing remained to do, and that was to fill the great stone bottle, brought on purpose, with water for the new aquarium.

"Gluggle, gluggle--blob, blob," went the big bottle as the air rushed out, displaced by the salt-water, till the great thing was full, securely corked, and deposited in the car. Tom's nose-bag was taken off, his bit replaced, the boys mounted, for they were too tired to walk along the sands, and they began their noiseless journey homewards, where they arrived just as the sun was beginning to sink behind the hills, and turning everything to burnished gold.

CHAPTER SEVEN.

LOST IN THE WOODS.

"Whoo-oo-oo-oop!" sang out Philip Inglis.

"Hoop--hoop--hoop!" shouted Fred as loud as he could.

And then both stopped to listen, but not a sound could they hear anything like a reply. There was a regular deep humming from the gnats and flies; the twittering of a few distant birds; but with these exceptions all was solemn silence.

The boys had been out in the woods ever since three o'clock, seeking for eggs for the cabinet, and had been very successful; but now the sun was setting, and the last rays were turning the sky overhead into one glorious golden canopy; the forest shades were getting deeper, and as Fred said, he would not have cared only it was so dreadfully quiet, and Harry was lost; and what was worse than all was, they were lost themselves; and this is how it fell out:

Mr Inglis had been talking about the collection of eggs they had in the little museum, and said he would go with the boys to Beechy Wood, to see if they could get a few more specimens; for he particularly wanted two or three eggs rather difficult to obtain, such as the great spotted woodp.e.c.k.e.r's, hawfinch's, and colet.i.t's.

"Oh, do let's go to-day, Papa," said Harry, clapping his hands. "That will be capital."

"Yes, yes, yes," said Philip.

"No; not to-day," said the Squire; "I have several business matters to attend to in the town, so you had better play cricket in the field, and perhaps we may start to-morrow."

Not the least disappointed of the trio was Fred, to whom the very name of wood sounded romantic; he almost expected to find such a cave as Ali Baba hit upon when out with his donkey, wood-cutting; or that the place they went to would be the identical forest where the redb.r.e.a.s.t.s covered the unfortunate babes over with leaves when they laid down and died.

But it was of no use to be disappointed; they must wait till another day, and, therefore, they went into the field to play cricket till dinner-time.

Cricket is a capital game: it looks well to see light, active figures chasing the ball when the batsman has thrown all his power into the leg hit, and sent the ball bounding and skimming far away beyond the farther fielder; then backwards and forwards run the men at the wickets, while the onlookers cheer and shout at the bowler's prowess, as he stops the thrown-up ball, and hurls it at the wicket-keeper, who, with apparently one motion for catching and knocking off the bailes, puts the hard hitter out.

Ah, it's a n.o.ble game, is cricket! it puts muscle on young bones, sharpness in young eyes, tone in const.i.tution, and a readiness to meet difficulties and to parry them. Health, that rosy-cheeked G.o.ddess, seems to have chosen the game for her own, and to love to place the reflection of her own cheeks upon those of the players, and to make them ruddy brown as well. But, somehow or other, cricket grows to be rather dull and tedious when the players are idle and will not work.

Everything, if it is worth doing at all, is worth doing well: the heart must be in it, and it must be done, as the sailors say, "with a will."

When you go to play cricket, it must not happen that you have your mind out in Beechy Wood seeking for woodp.e.c.k.e.rs' nests; or else it will be something the same with you as it was with our lads on that bright July day, when things would keep going wrong. Harry would bowl too swiftly, and send the ball right past the wicket ever so far, for Philip to fetch back; and then, again, Philip would hit so savagely, and make Fred run so far after the rolling ball, which in its turn was obstinate, and would keep creeping amongst the long gra.s.s, and getting lost; or amongst the stinging-nettles, where Fred, who did not know their qualities, was stung, and had to be rubbed with dock leaves, when they could find any, which, either from idleness or their unrule-like absence, was not for some time. Then Harry sent the bailes flying with a vicious ball as soon as Fred went in for his innings, and so they were lost, and had to be found; and soon after, while Harry was in, Fred threw the ball up so sharply, that Phil, in catching, missed it, and received a blow in the stomach that made him lie down and brought the tears into his eyes, as much from vexation as pain. Then the sun would shine so hotly, and the flies tease, and the nasty cows had been all over the place where they generally played; so at last the game of cricket came to a stand-still till dinner-time; when, having left their bats and stumps in the field, they went in to the mid-day meal.

After dinner, they returned to the cricket-ground, but matters were worse than ever: the flies seemed to be savage to think that the boys had been having a hearty meal while they had been fasting, so they set to work to see if they could not take it out of them, and began by attacking Fred, then Harry, then Philip; till at last, what with the heat, the idle feeling, and the teasing of the flies, the boys gave up playing in despair, and stood lounging under the great cedar, cross, tired, and ill-tempered.