HAWKING. 223 



Frank did so, and the water-hen flew out over the broad, her 

 legs dipping in the water. 



" Let her have a little law," cried Frank. " Now then ! " 



With a loud whistle Dick let the hawk slip. She rose rapidly 

 in the air, over the water-hen, and then swooped. The water- 

 hen instantly dived. The disappointed hawk curved up again, 

 just touching the surface of the water with her breast. She 

 rose about twenty feet in the air and swooped around in small 

 circles, her head turning this side and that, watching for her 

 quarry. The course of the water-hen under water was marked 

 by a line of bubbles, and Frank kept close behind her. letting 

 the wind out of his sails in order not to overtake her and so 

 cause her to double back. Soon she rose again to the surface, 

 but ere the hawk, quick as she was, could reach her, she had 

 dived again. In this manner, the water-hen rising to the surface 

 to breathe and the hawk swooping unsuccessfully, they ran 

 across the broad to a reed-bed, where the pursued bird remained 

 under water so long that they knew she was holding on to the 

 weed by her claws, with only her beak above water, as is the 

 habit of these birds. After a little searching about they saw 

 her yellow beak protruding above a mass of weeds. Seeing 

 that she was discovered, she flew up uttering a despairing croak. 

 Down came the sparrow-hawk with lightning swiftness, and 

 struck her in the air, and they both fell into the reeds. The 

 boys forced their way to them and the hawk allowed Dick to 

 approach and take her in his hand. He cut off the head of 

 the water-hen, and gave it to her to eat in the cabin, while they 

 brought the other hawk for the next flight. 



" Well," said Frank, " that was as successful a flight as we 

 could desire. There goes a water-rail. Let the hawk go." 



With a sharp scream the hawk dashed off in pursuit of it, and 

 without troubling itself to soar, it struck the water-rail, and, 

 bearing it away in its talons, it flew off to a dyke where a 

 wherry was moored, her crew having gone ashore, and perched 

 on the top of the mast, where it began to pick at and tear the bird. 



" What's to be done now ? " said Jimmy. 



"We must try the lure/' answered Frank, and taking it up 

 he whistled and threw it in the air. The hawk dropped the 

 water-rail and flew down to the lure and suffered herself to be 

 taken. As a reward, she was allowed to have its head, and the 

 other hawk was again taken out. 



