222 THE SWAN AND HER CREW. 



away while training. They had perches with cross-bars made 

 for the hawks, and set up at one end of the boat-house, 

 and underneath it a tray containing a quantity of sand and a 

 bowl of water. In a couple of months the hawks were quite 

 tame, and then the boys proceeded to train them for sport. 

 Every time they were fed the meat was attached to a lure, 

 Fig. 6, which was a lump of cork with a bunch of cock's 

 feathers attached to it. This was thrown up into the air at 

 gradually increasing distances, and at the same time one of the 

 boys, having the hawk ready perched on his wrist (which was 

 protected by strong gloves such as hedgers and ditchers use), 

 let her loose with a shrill whistle, and she was allowed to fly 

 the length of her leash and seize the lure and the food. In a 

 remarkably short time the birds would not only fly to the lure 

 with alacrity, but wait until the boys came up and took them 

 away again. When they had attained this pitch of perfection 

 the rest was easy, and the leash was dispensed with. Then a 

 dead bird or rabbit was fixed to the lure, and at last, one fine 

 October day, it was resolved to try the hawks at real game. 



" What shall we try them at first ?" said Dick. 



" I was thinking that the best way would be to take the 

 yacht and coast about the reeds, and try them first at the water- 

 hens and coots. I am so afraid of someone shooting them if 

 we take them into the meadows. If we cannot manage them 

 with the yacht on the water, we will take them on the drained 

 marshes," answered Frank. 



" I hope they will not disappoint us," said Jimmy, " for they 

 have given us a great deal of trouble to train." 



" They have had very little to eat this morning, so I think 

 they will fly at anything we show them, but it will be a sell if 

 we lose them the very first try." 



There was just a light breeze on the broad, which enabled 

 them to sail quietly about Frank took the helm, for sailing 

 was to him the greatest of all enjoyments, and Dick and 

 Jimmy stood in the bows, Dick with a hawk on his wrist, ready 

 to be flown as soon as they caught sight of anything worth 

 flying at. Frank steered the Swan so that she just brushed 

 along the reeds, which were brown and dry, and had thinned 

 fast under the keen October breezes. 



"There is a water-hen in the reeds, just before us," said 

 Jimmy. " Drive the yacht a little further in." 



