THE HAWK'S REVENGE. GOSSAMERS. 89 



toe up with a piece of sticking-plaster, grumbling all the time, 

 and casting savage glances at the offending birds. 



The light was put out, and they once more went to bed, 

 Jimmy taking care to tuck his feet well under him. Every now 

 and then a smothered burst of laughter from the other berths 

 told him that his friends were still enjoying the joke, and then, 

 as his toe began to pain him less, his sense of the ludicrous 

 overcame his sense of outraged dignity, and just as Dick and 

 Frank were dropping off to sleep, they were again startled by 

 a peal of laughter from Jimmy. 



" Oh dear ! " said Frank, " you will be the death of us, Jimmy. 

 Have you only now discovered the joke ? " 



" Oh, don't make me laugh any more. My sides are aching 

 so," said Dick. 



Once more composed, they went to sleep, and awoke early 

 in the morning to find that the gale had spent itself, and that a 

 soft air from the south blew warmly over the land. The sun 

 shone his brightest, and the birds sang their merriest. They 

 had a bathe in the clear river water, and dressed leisurely on 

 the top of their cabin, while the sun, which had not risen very 

 long, threw their shadows, gigantic in size, over the green 

 meadows, which were covered with silvery gossamers and then 

 they were witnesses of a curious phenomenon. Their shadows 

 had halos of light around them, extending about eighteen 

 inches from each figure, all around it. The strong light from 

 behind them, shining on the wet and gleaming gossamers, was 

 no doubt the cause of this singular appearance. The same 

 sight has been seen when the grass was wet with dew. 



" The fields are quite silvery with the gossamer," said Dick. 

 " Is it not pretty ! " 



" Yes, what a number of spiders there must be to cause 

 such an appearance," answered Frank. " It always puzzles 

 me how those spiders move about and how is it that on some 

 mornings they appear in such immense quantities, while on 

 the next morning, perhaps, not one will be seen ? " 



" I think they are always there," replied Dick, " but they 

 are only visible when the dew is falling heavily, and wetting 

 them so that they become visible. In the clear air, too, the 

 sun will dry them so that we shall not be able to see them ; 

 but they will be there all the same. Let us gather a bunch of 

 rushes with a lot of them on and examine them." 





