The Swan And Her Crew Part 19

Frank put a shilling under the door, and they went away laughing heartily. Their next proceeding was to look about the damp gra.s.s and pick up the lob-worms, which were about in great numbers. When they had each collected a large number they returned to the yacht, and by Frank's directions threaded the worms on to the worsted, lengthways, with the needle they had used for sniggling. In this way they made three large bunches of worm-covered worsted. These bunches they weighted with a stone, and tied strong lengths of cord to them.

"Now," said Frank, "we can begin to bob. This is the way, d.i.c.k:--let the bunch sink to the bottom and then keep the line taut. Let it lie there for some time, and when you feel some sharp quick tugs, it is the eels biting at it. Then haul it quietly on board and shake the eels off.

There, I can feel them on my line now."

"And I at mine," said Jimmy.

"And I too," said d.i.c.k.

"Then wait five minutes, and haul on board."

At the end of five minutes they each hauled their lines quietly on board, and on Frank's were no less than six eels, their teeth entangled in the worsted. On Jimmy's there were two, and on d.i.c.k's three. They shook the eels on to the deck. Jimmy's two at once wriggled themselves off back into the water, and Frank and d.i.c.k had hard work to keep theirs from doing the same, until Jimmy got out the bucket they used for washing the deck, and in this they safely deposited their captives.

"This is not bad fun," said d.i.c.k, as he brought up three more eels, one of them a large one.

"No, is it?" answered Jimmy, as he followed d.i.c.k's example.

So they went on laughing and talking and pulling in eels until two o'clock in the morning, when their bucket was so full of eels that it would not hold any more.

"Now it is time to turn in," said Frank; "take up the bucket, Jimmy, and put it by the foremast with something over it to keep the eels from crawling out, while I do up the lines."

Jimmy took up the bucket, and was walking aft with it, when his foot slipped on an eel that had made its escape, and was wriggling about the deck. In an instant, Jimmy, the bucket, and the eels all went into the water. Jimmy rose to the surface and swam to the yacht, and climbed on board, with the bucket still in his hands, but all the eels had of course disappeared.

"What an extraordinary thing!" spluttered Jimmy, as he rose to the surface.

"Very," said Frank, as soon as he could speak for laughing; "but hadn't you better dive after the eels?"

"Do you mind my losing them, Frank?" said Jimmy, rather ruefully.

"Not at all, old man. We don't want the eels, and a good laugh is better for us."

While they were undressing, d.i.c.k was peering through one of the side lights and at length said,

"I suppose it is impossible for any one to have been smoking here lately, yet there are two or three things which are like cigar-ends gleaming on the bank. Is it possible that they are glow-worms?"

"Yes, of course they are," said Jimmy; "I will go and get them;" and presently he came back with the little, soft, brown things, which shed a circle of phosph.o.r.escent light for two or three inches around them.

"Put them into that empty jar with some gra.s.s, and we will take them home with us."

[Ill.u.s.tration: GLOW-WORM.]

The glow-worm is the wingless female of a winged beetle. The male has a dim light, but nothing to be compared to that of his wife. The light issues from the three last segments of her body, and is of a bright yellow in colour. In general she shines from ten to twelve o'clock, but often much later, as on this occasion. Why such a brown, ugly little beetle should have such a beautiful light I do not know. Perhaps it is to guide the male to her. This beetle with the wonderful light has plebeian tastes, for she eats the flesh of snails, and, unlike our Gallic neighbours, she does not wait for the snails' decease first.

The morning soon shone brightly, and again the fair east wind blew;

"The sun was warm; and the wind was cool,"

and the _Swan_ spread her white wings to the favouring breeze and glided between the narrowing banks, where the meadow-sweet in full luxuriance waved its cloudy cl.u.s.ters, the forget-me-not gleamed in turquoise blue, the tall iris or white flag reared its flowers of gold over its green sword-shaped leaves, and the modest ragged-robin showed its thin red petals amid the dew-wet gra.s.s.

Through Heigham Sounds and into Hickling Broad, and there at the farther end was a group of people, waving their handkerchiefs in greeting.

"There they are," said Frank; "give them three cheers;" and a "Hip! hip!

hurrah!" rang over the water with a hearty good will.

Mr. and Mrs. Merivale, Sir Richard Carleton, and Mary, were all there to meet them.

Frank brought the yacht up to her moorings in his best manner, and in a few minutes they were ash.o.r.e.

"d.i.c.k," said Sir Richard, "I can scarcely believe my eyes. I am delighted."

There was some cause for his surprise. d.i.c.k was as brown as a berry. His form was upright and full of vigour, and his handsome face was bright with the smile of health. A greater contrast to the pale-faced delicate boy, who some months before had aroused his father's anxiety, could not well be seen.

"I am glad you have enjoyed yourself, dear," said Mrs. Merivale to Frank, "but I have been very anxious about you, and it has seemed a long time."

Frank laughed merrily, as he put his arm round his mother, and kissed her with all a lover's devotion.

"You are like Martha, mother, who troubled herself about many things.

But where is Florrie?"

"Oh," said Mary, "she can't leave her room. She got a little black hairy caterpillar for you, and it has stung her. At least she has a rash all over her, and nasty little red lumps, and she suffers so much."

"That must be a mistake, Mary, about the caterpillar," said Frank.

"No, it is not, Frank," said d.i.c.k; "I was reading the other day about urticating caterpillars. The caterpillars of some moths will affect some people like that."

"We have the creature in a gla.s.s, and you can see it, and try it, if you like, Frank," said Mary.

CHAPTER XX.

Golden Oriole.--Landrail.--House-martins in trouble.--Siskin.-- Peac.o.c.k and Red Admiral b.u.t.terflies.--Winchat's Nest.-- Bitten by a Viper.--Viper and Snake.--Slow-worm.

"Frank," said Mary at breakfast the next morning, "I have seen the most beautiful bird about the orchard and the wood next to it. It is about as big as a thrush, and is a bright yellow all over, except the wings, which are black. What can it be?"

"By Jove," said Frank, "there is only one bird that is like that; but it is so very rare that very few specimens have been seen in this country, and that is the golden oriole. Come and show me where it was at once, before I go to Mr. Meredith's."

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

Mary was nothing loath, and they hastily finished their breakfast and went out together. Scarcely had they got to the orchard when the gardener came towards them with a gun in one hand, and a dead oriole in the other. "I thought you would like to have him to stuff, Master Frank," said the man, and Frank took the bird and thanked him, and when they turned away Frank said,

"I am awfully sorry this has happened, Mary. The idea of shooting a rare bird like this at the breeding season. It must have been nesting here, and in a few weeks perhaps, there would have been a brood of young ones about. Let us go into the wood and look for its nest."

In a short time they saw its mate flying about from tree to tree, calling piteously; and after a little hunting Frank found a nest, which was like a missel thrush's, and placed in the fork of an oak branch. It contained four eggs, white in colour, covered with claret-coloured spots. Frank did not touch it, hoping that the remaining bird would sit and hatch the eggs; but she soon deserted it and left the neighbourhood, most probably to be shot, and the boys then took the eggs to add to their collection.

[Ill.u.s.tration: NEST OF AMERICAN SPECIES OF ORIOLE.]

With the same vigour which characterised their out-door sports, the boys betook themselves again to their books. In Mr. Meredith's study at the Rectory the three boys sat busily engaged in making Latin verse, an exercise which suited d.i.c.k far better than it did the others. Their brown faces and their hands, hacked and roughened as only boys' hands can become, were in great contrast to their studious occupations. Mr.