perch would be on the watch foranything that might come along on the wavelets, and inside for whatevermight be washed from the shoal. There were weeds at a short distance,but none just there, and such places with a clear sandy bottom are thefavourite haunts of perch in waters like these. First he fished outsideto windward, and his blue float went up and down on the ripples tillpresently down it went at a single dive, drawn under at once by an eagerfish.
In a minute he had a perch on board about half a pound weight, andshortly afterwards another, and then a third, for when perch are on thefeed they take the bait directly as fast as it can be put in to them.Now Mark, though excited with his luck, was cool enough to observe onelittle precaution, which was to use a fresh clean worm every time, andnot to drop in one that had been in the least degree mauled. Thisrequired some self-control, for several times the bait was scarcelydamaged, but it was a rule that he and Bevis had found out, and theyalways adhered to it.
For fish have likes and antipathies exactly the same as other creatures,and if one approaches a bait and turns disdainfully away it is quiteprobable that three or four more may check their advance, whether fromimitation, or taking the opinion of the first as a guide to themselves.So Mark always had a fresh, untainted bait for them, and in a very shorttime he had six perch on the raft. He put them in the locker.
There was then a pause, he had exhausted that school. Next he triedfishing out towards the nearest weeds, a small bunch at the utmost limitof his throw, but as half an hour elapsed and he had no nibble he triedinside the shoal to leeward. In five minutes he landed a fine one,quite two pounds and a half, whose leaps went thump, thump on the decklike Pan's tail. Ten minutes more and he caught another, this timesmall, and that was his last. There were either no more fish, or theyhad no more credence.
He sat on the locker and watched his float till the sun grew low, but itwas no use. He knew it was no use long before, but still he lingered.Gold-diggers linger though they know their claim is exhausted. The mindis loth to acknowledge that the game is up. Mark knew it was up; stillhe waited and let his float uselessly rise and fall, till he heard thereport of the matchlock from the island, and then he poled homewards tosee what Bevis had shot.
In ambush, under the ash-tree, and behind the fringe of fern--one frondwas scorched where Mark had fired through it--Bevis watched with the gunready on the rest. He had purposely gone a little too soon, that is,before the shadow stretched right out across the glade, because if youdo not arrive till the last moment a kangaroo may be already out, andwill be alarmed. Then it is necessary to wait till the others recoverfrom their fear; for if one runs in, the sound of his hasty passagethrough the tunnels in the ground conveys the information to all in thebury.
Not far from him there was a bunch of beautiful meadow geraniums; someof their blue cups had already dropped, leaving the elongatedseed-vessel or crane's bill, something like the pointed caps worn bymediaeval ladies. The leaves are much divided; perhaps the wind-anemoneleaves (but these had withered long since) are most finely divided, andif you will hold one so that its shadow may be cast by the sun on apiece of white paper, you cannot choose but admire it. While he satthere, now and then changing the position of a limb with the utmost careand deliberation, not to rustle the grass or to attract attention bymoving quickly (for kangaroos do not heed anything that moves veryslowly), he saw a brown furze-chat come to a tall fern and perchsideways on the flattened yellow stalk.
Half an hour afterwards there came a sound like "top-top" from an oak onhis left hand--not the ivy-grown one--and when he had by great exertionturned himself round, it is difficult to turn and still occupy the samespace, he followed up all the branches of the oak cautiously till hefound the bird. If you glance, as it were, broadcast up into a treewhen it is in leaf, you see nothing, though the bird's note may fallfrom just overhead. Bevis first looked quickly up the larger leadingbranches, letting his glance run up them; then he caused it to travelout along the lesser boughs of one great branch, then of another, tillhe had exhausted all. Still he could not find it, though he heard the"top-top." But as he had now got a map of the tree in his eye, themoment the bird moved he saw it.
It ran up a partly dead branch, then stopped and struck it with itsbeak, and though the bird was no larger than a sparrow the sound ofthese vehement blows could have been heard across the glade. He sawsome white and red colour, but the glimpse he had was too short tonotice much. The spotted woodpecker is so hasty that it is not often heis in sight more than half a minute. Bevis saw him fly with a flightlike a finch across to the ivy-grown oak, and heard his "top-top" fromthence. One of the tits has a trick of tapping branches so much in thesame manner that if he is not seen the sound may be mistaken.
There was now a little rabbit out, but not worth shooting. Restless asBevis was, yet the moment he fixed his mind to do a thing his willmagnetised the nerves and sinews. He became as still as a tree andscarcely heeded the lapse of time. Bees went by, which reminded him ofthe honey in the hollow ash, and he heard mice in the fern. The shadowshad now deepened, and there were two thrushes and a blackbird out in thegrass. Another little kangaroo appeared, and a third, and a long wayoff, too far to shoot, there was one about three parts grown, which hehoped would presently feed over within range.
After a while, as this did not happen, he began to think he would tryand shoot two of the smaller ones at once. With shot this could havebeen easily done, for they were often close together. As he waswatching the young rabbits, and asking himself whether the ball wouldstrike both, a sense of something moving made him glance again up intothe oak on his left hand. He did not actually see anything go up intoit, but the corner of his eye--while he was consciously gazing straightforward--was aware that something had passed.
In a moment he saw it was a jay, which had come without a sound, forthough the jay makes such a screech when he opens his bill, his wingsare almost as noiseless as an owl's. A wood-pigeon makes a greatclatter, hammering the air and the boughs; a jay slips into the treewithout a sound. The bird's back was turned, and the white bar acrossit showed; in a moment he moved, and the blue wing was visible.
"Frances would like it," Bevis thought, "to put in her hat." The fernshid him on that side, and careless of the rabbits, he gently movedhimself round; the little kangaroos lifted their heads, the larger oneran to his bury, for to bring his gun to bear on the oak Bevis wasobliged to expose himself towards the knoll. Now he was round there wasthis difficulty, the jay was high in the oak, and the rest was too low.
To aim up into the tree he must have extended himself at full lengthwith his chest on the ground, that would be awkward, and most likelywhile he was doing it he should startle the bird. He gently lifted theheavy matchlock, sliding the barrel against the bark of the ash till hehad it in position, holding it there by pressing it with his left handagainst the tree. This gave some support while his wrist was fresh, butin a minute he knew it would feel the weight, and perhaps tremble. Itwas necessary to shoot quick for this reason, and because the jay neverstays long in any one tree; yet he wanted to take a steady aim. He hadnot shot anything with the matchlock, though he had designed it.
Bevis brought the barrel to bear, covered the jay with the sight, thenmoved it the merest trifle to the left, so that he could just see thebird, and drew the match down into the priming. The bird was struck upinto the air by the blow of the ball and fell dead. The wing towardshim and part of the neck had been carried away by the bullet, which,coming upwards, had lifted the jay from the bough. On the side awayfrom him the wing was uninjured; this was for Frances. There was nochance of getting a rabbit now, so he returned towards the hut, and hadnot been there many minutes before Mark came running.
When the jay and the perch had been talked about enough, they made sometea, and sat down to wait till it was moonlight. Bevis got out hisjournal and recorded these spoils, while the little bats flew to and froinside the stockade, and even under the open shed and over the tablejust above their
heads, having little more fear than flies.
Later on, having landed on the mainland, as they were going through thestubble to meet Loo, they saw something move, and keeping quite still bythe hedge, it came towards them, when they knew it was a fox. He camedown the furrow between the lands, and several times went nosing roundthe shocks of wheat, for he looks on a plump mouse as others do on akidney for breakfast. He did not seem to scent them, for when theystepped out he was startled and raced away full speed. At the whistleLoo brought the flag-basket, heavy with the tinned tongues and pottedmeats they had ordered. She was frequently sent into the town onerrands from the house, so that there was no difficulty at the shop.Bevis inquired how all were at home; all were well, and then wished hergood-night after exacting another promise of secrecy. Loo watched themout of sight.
That evening they had a splendid supper on New Formosa, and sat upplaying cards.
"How ought we to know that your governor and the Jolly Old Moke are allright," said Mark, "as we're on an island seven thousand miles away? Ofcourse we do know, but how _ought_ we to find out? There was notelegraph when we lived."
"Well, it's awkward," said Bevis--"it's very awkward; perhaps we had amagic ring and looked through it and saw what the people were doing, or,I know! there's the little looking-glass in the cave, don't youremember?"
"We brought it and forgot to hang it up."
"Yes; we saw them in a magic mirror, don't you see?"
"Of course--like a picture. First it comes as a mist in the mirror, asif you had breathed on it; then you see the people moving about, andvery likely somebody going to be married that you want, and then you cryout, and the mist comes again."
"That's right: I'll put it down in the journal. `Made magic and saw allthe blokes at home.'"
They fastened Pan up as before at the door-post before going to bed, andgave him several slices of rolled tongue. They slept the instant theyput their heads on the hard doubled-up great-coats which formed theirpillows.
Volume Three, Chapter IX.
NEW FORMOSA--THE SOMETHING COMES AGAIN.
About the middle of the night Pan moved, sat up, gave a low growl, thenrushed outside to the full length of his cord, and set up a barking.
"Pan! Pan!" said Bevis, awakened.
"What is it?" said Mark.
Hearing their voices and feeling himself supported, Pan increased hisuproar. Bevis ran outside with Mark and looked round the stockade. Itwas still night, but night was wending to the morn. The moon was lowbehind the trees. The stars shone white and without scintillating.They could distinctly see every corner of the courtyard; there wasnothing in it.
"It's the something," said Mark. Together they ran across to thegateway in the stockade, though they had no boots on. They lookedoutside; there was nothing. Everything was perfectly still, as if thevery trees slept.
"We left the gate open," said Bevis.
"I don't believe it's ever been locked but once," said Mark.
Neither had it. On the boards the wizard's foot was drawn to keep outthe ethereal genii, but they had neglected to padlock the door to keepout the material. They locked it now, and returned to the hut. Panwagged his tail, but continued to give short barks as much as to say,that _he_ was not satisfied, though they had seen nothing.
"What can it be?" said Mark. "If Pan used to swim off every night, hecould not have had all the things."
"No. We'll look in the morning and see if there are any marks on theground."
They sat up a little while talking about it, and then reclined; in threeminutes they were firm asleep again. Pan curled up, but outside the hutnow; once or twice he growled inwardly.
In the morning they remembered the incident the moment they woke, andbefore letting Pan loose, carefully examined every foot of the groundinside the stockade. There was not the slightest spoor. Nor was thereoutside the gate; but it was possible that an animal might pass therewithout leaving much sign in the thin grass. When Pan was let free heran eagerly to the gate, but then stopped, looked about him, and cameback seeming: to take no further interest. The scent was gone.
"No cooking," said Mark, as they sat down to breakfast. "Glad I'm not agirl to have to do that sort of thing."
"I wish there was some wind," said Bevis, "so that we could have asail."
There was a little air moving, but not sufficient to make sailingpleasant in so cumbrous a craft as the Calypso. They had their bath,but did not cross to Serendib, lest Pan should follow and disturb thewater-fowl. So soon as they had dressed, the matchlock was loaded--itwas Mark's day--and they brought the raft round.
Mark sat on the deck in front with the match lit, and the barrelbalanced on a fixed rest they had put up for it, not the movable staff.Bevis poled the raft across to Serendib, and then very quietly round thenorthern end of that island, where the water was deep enough to let theraft pass close to the blue gum boughs. Coming round to the other side,Mark moved his left hand, which was the signal that they had agreed on,when Bevis kept his pole on the ground, dragging so as to almost anchorthe Calypso.
In a quarter of a minute Mark fired, and Pan instantly jumped overboard.The force of his fall carried him under water, but he rose directly andbrought the moorhen back to them. Bevis dragged him on board--themoorhen in his mouth--by the neck, for he could not climb over thebulwarks from the water. After the gun was loaded Bevis pushed on againslowly, but the report had frightened the others, and there were no moreout feeding. They stayed therefore under the blue gum boughs andwaited. Pan wanted to leap ashore and play havoc, but they would notlet him, for it was impossible to shoot flying with their heavy gun.
Some time passed, and then Bevis caught sight of a neck and a head;there was nothing more visible, near the shore along which they hadcome. It was a dab-chick or lesser grebe. At that, the stern end ofthe raft, there was no rest, but Mark sat down and put the barrel on thebulwarks. Bevis whispered to him to wait till the dab-chick turned itshead, for this bird, which swims almost flush with the water, goes underin an instant, having only to get his head down to disappear. He willdive at the faintest sound or movement that he does not recognise, butsoon comes up again, and will often duck at the flash of a gun too quickfor the shot to strike him. Mark waited his chance and instantly fired,and Pan brought them the grebe.
They waited what seemed a very long time, but nothing appeared, so Panwas thrown ashore by his neck crash in among the "gix" and meadowsweet.He did not care for that, he went to work in an instant. Mark gotready, for though he could not shoot flying he thought some of themwould perhaps swim off. This happened, two moorhens came rushing out,one flew, the other swam as hastily as he could, and Mark shot thelatter. But before he could load again Pan had disturbed the wholeisland, some went this way, some that, and all the fowl were scattered.
It was some time before they could get the excited spaniel on board; sosoon as they could, Bevis poled the raft along to Bamboo Island, whereseveral coots and moorhens had taken refuge. As they came near thesebeing now on the alert began to move off. Mark aimed at one, but he washe thought not quite near enough: Bevis poled faster, when the moorhenat the splash began to rise, scuttling and dragging the long hanginglegs along the surface.
Mark drew the match down into the priming, the shot widening as it went,struck up the water like a shower round the moorhen, which though onlyhit by one pellet, fell and dived: Pan following. The bird came up tobreathe. Pan saw her, and yelped. He touched ground and ran plungingin the water, cantering, lifting his fore-paws and beating the water,for he could not run in the same way as ashore. He caught anotherglimpse of the bird, dashed to the spot, and thrust his nose and headright under, but missed her. By now the raft had come up, and they beatthe weeds with their poles. The moorhen doubled into the bamboos andsedges, but they were so thick they hindered her progress, and Pansnapped her up in a moment.
From Bamboo Island, Bevis poled round to five or six banks covered withsedges, and Mark had an
other shot, but this time, perhaps a little tooconfident, he missed altogether. There did not seem any probability oftheir shooting any more, so they returned towards New Formosa, when Markwanted to have one more look round the lower and more level end of thatisland. Bevis poled that way, and Mark, seeing something black with awhite bill moving in the weeds, fired--a very long shot--and felt surethat he had wounded the bird, though for a minute it disappeared.Presently Pan brought them a young coot.
Mark had now shot three moorhens, a coot, and a dab-chick, but whatpleased him most was the moorhen he had hit while flying, though but oneshot had taken effect. He could not have shot so many with so cumbrousa gun had not the water-fowl been nearly all young, and had not sometime gone by since the last raid had been made upon these sedgy covers;so that, as is the case on all uninhabited islands, the birds were easyto approach.
Finding that the sun-dial still only gave the time as half-past twelve,Mark wanted to try spinning again for jack if Bevis was not too tired ofpoling on the raft. Bevis was willing, so they started again, and hepoled slowly along the edge of the broad bands of weeds, while Mark drewthe bait through the water. He had one success, bringing a jack ofabout two pounds on deck, but no more.
Then, returning to New Formosa, they visited the wires set forkangaroos, which had been forgotten. One had been pushed down, butnothing was caught. The wires were moved and set up in other runs, withmore caution not to touch the grass or the run--the kangaroo'sfootpath--with the hand, and the loops were made a little larger. Ifthe loop is too small the rabbit pushes the wire aside; so that it hadbetter be just a little too large, that the head may be certain to gothrough, when the shoulders will draw the noose tight. They did not
Bevis: The Story of a Boy Page 78