214 CRUSOE'S ISLAND. 



who sent a kind message of greeting and the prelimi- 

 nary papers for the acquisition of the property. 



1 never knew before what a companionable bird 

 the domestic fowl could be, nor how necessary to 

 one's comfort in a situation similar to mine. Chanti- 

 cleer woke us early every morning, to be sure ; but 

 our mornings were made for enjoyment in those days, 

 and we held it to his credit rather than his blame. 

 His clear crow of defiance provoked replies from the 

 wild and wary cockerricos in the treetops of the for- 

 est below, and the morning air would ring with their 

 challenge and counter challenge. Eggs and chickens 

 followed in due succession, and thus a lively element 

 was introduced into the domestic life at Hilltop. 



By refraining from discharging our guns on or 

 near the hill, and by encouraging all the birds about 

 to come to us for food, we soon had quite a flock of 

 dependents, in the trees and under the eaves. A 

 wood pigeon established herself, with her mate, in 

 one of the palms, and there built a nest and reared 

 her young ; and each family that once came here, 

 like hers, became the nucleus for a little settlement 

 of its kind. Under my eaves also, which was now 

 become a haven of refuge for weak and persecuted 

 birds of all kinds, a northern swallow made its winter 

 home, bringing with it home memories and the asso- 

 ciations of my boyhood. 



Tender thoughts these birds evoked, each one 

 appealing to me in a different way. They became 

 my companions, trusted me, even appealed to me to 

 arbitrate their disputed cases ; as when one took a 



