CHAPTER THIRTY SEVEN.
BEAUTIES IN PLUME.
Our work done, my uncle decided that we should stay here for a couple ofdays at least, even if we did not afterwards come round to this side ofthe island, for our good fortune was not yet at an end. In taking alook round, towards mid-day we heard a harsh cry, and by means of alittle stalking Uncle Dick got within shot and brought down a bird thatwas almost as beautiful as those we shot before daylight.
This had shorter plumes of a rich red, but it had two long double curvedwires in its tail, and its upper plumage was more plush-like and richerin its colours. The metallic green was more vivid, the golden yellow acolour which was most bright upon its neck and shoulders.
Almost directly after I shot a big dull brown bird which gave me nosatisfaction at all; but Uncle Dick was delighted, saying that it wasthe female bird of the kind we had shot, and we decided that it was thered bird of paradise.
Even then we had not come to the end of our good fortune, for afterpassing over hundreds of sun-birds, pittas, and trogons, such as weshould have been only too glad to meet a short time back, my unclesuddenly raised his gun and fired at what seemed to be, from where Istood, a couple of sturdy-looking starlings.
One fell, and Uncle Dick shouted to me as the second bird came in mydirection.
I made a quick shot at it just as it was darting among some bushes, andbrought it down, and on running to pick it up I found that I had shotsomething entirely fresh to me.
"Well done, Nat!" cried my uncle. "Mine is only the hen bird. What alovely little creature, to be sure! It is a gem."
"What is it, uncle?" I said.
"Evidently a paradise bird, my boy."
It was a curious little short-tailed fellow, but wonderful in itscolours; while from the centre of the dumpy tail sprang two wires ofabout six inches long, which formed two flat spiral curls at the end,and of a most intense green. Instead of the long plumes of the birds weshot before--birds three times the size of this--it had under each winga little tuft of grey, tipped with green, which the bird could set uplike tiny tans. The whole of the upper surface was of a rich red, andthe under part of a glistening floss-silky or glass-thready white, butrelieved here and there with bands and patches of metallic green. Therewere shades of orange crimson here, and when I add that the bird's legswere of a delicious blue, and its beak of orange yellow like ablackbird's, you can realise how beautiful a creature I had shot.
"There, Nat," said my uncle, "we will do no more, only carefullypreserve the treasures we have got."
But hardly had he spoken before he fired again and brought down anotherbird, which was again a wonder. It seemed about the size of the last,but was entirely different, though sufficiently similar to mark it as aparadise bird. It had nearly as short a tail, with the two centralwires crossed, but instead of forming the beautiful curves of the otherwith the flat disc at the end, these wires ended in a point and curledround so as to form a circle. The prevailing colours were orange, buff,and yellow, but its great peculiarity was a couple of ruffs or capes offeathers hanging from the back of its neck, the upper one of a paleyellow, the lower of a reddish-brown.
Uncle Dick was in as great a state of delight as I, and our pleasureseemed to be reflected upon Ebo, who showed his satisfaction at havingbrought us to the place, by shouldering his spear and striding up anddown with one hand upon his hip, as if proud of his position ascompanion of the white man.
The time glided by very fast during our stay at the island, where wefound plenty of fruit, as many fish as we liked to catch, and abundanceof large pigeons and other birds to help our larder. The climate washot, but the breezes that came from the sea always seemed to modify theheat and make it bearable. Several storms occurred, during which thetrees bent before the fury of the blast, and the waves piled the sandshigh with weeds and shells. The lightning was terrific and the thunderdeafening. At times it was awful, and a curious scared feeling used atfirst to come over me. But I soon grew used to the storms, and as theywere soon over, took but little notice of them, except to enjoy thedelicious freshness of the air that seemed afterwards to make everythingten times more beautiful than it was before.
It would become wearisome if I kept on writing of the beauty of thedifferent varieties of the birds of paradise we found, and the lovelytinting and arrangement of their plumes; let it be sufficient when Itell you that scarcely a day passed without Ebo finding some freshspecimen for us to shoot, and then dancing round with the delight of aboy as we skinned and preserved the new treasure. Sometimes we had abeetle day, sometimes a butterfly day, collecting the loveliestspecimens; but birds formed our principal pursuit, and our cases beganto present a goodly aspect as we packed in carefully the well-driedaromatic skins.
I had had one or two more slight touches of fever, and my uncle waspoorly once, but he so skilfully treated us both that the disease wassoon mastered, and the trouble passed over. Taken altogether, though,we found the island, in spite of the heat, a most delightful place ofresidence, and it was with feelings of real regret that I sat in ourswift boat one day with the big sail set, skimming over the smooth sea,all our stores on board, and Uncle Dick at the helm steering due north,for we had bidden the beautiful island farewell, and its shores werebeginning to grow distant to our eyes.
Nat the Naturalist: A Boy's Adventures in the Eastern Seas Page 37