HAWKING. 225 



ground, and when they perceived the boys they turned off at a 

 tangent with a loud quack. Both hawks were let go, and ris- 

 ing well in the air, one of them made a swoop on the hindmost 

 duck and struck it, but did not lay hold. The duck swerved 

 under the blow, but held on its course. Then while the one 

 hawk mounted, the other, in its turn, swooped and struck the 

 duck, so that it fell nearly to the ground. The boys ran 

 along after the hawks and their quarry, and shouted to en- 

 courage the former. Then both hawks made a simultaneous 

 swoop, and struck the duck to the ground. 



As the hawks were taken from the duck, they showed some 

 impatience and signs of anger, so Frank said, 



" I say, they have done enough for to-day. We had better 

 feed them, and tie them up." 



They accordingly gave them the head of the duck and the 

 entrails of all the birds they had killed, and put them in the 

 cabin, and then commenced to fish for pike. In the course 

 of the day they caught seven, none of them over six pounds 

 in weight ; and then, when the western sky was agleam with 

 the pink and green of sunset, they ran the yacht into the 

 reeds while they put up their tackle. The wind had fallen 

 to the faintest of zephyrs, which was only indicated by sudden 

 shoots of light across the broad. The air was still, with a 

 mellow October stillness, and flocks of starlings were wheeling 

 in the air with unbroken regularity of rank and file, now 

 on edge and nearly invisible ; and then broadside on, and 

 seeming as if suddenly nearer ; and then settling in the reeds, 

 where during the night they roost in vast numbers. 



The boys stood there talking until the gloaming was 

 spreading rapidly over the broad, and then they made pre- 

 parations for going. 



They had not secured the hawks, and the cabin-door had 

 swung open. 



" There goes one of our hawks," cried Jimmy, as it floated 

 out with a triumphant scream over the marsh. 



" Quick ! get out the lure ! " said Frank. 



But the lure was not needed. A twittering commenced 

 among the reeds, and grew louder and more clamorous ; and 

 soon, with a noise like thunder, a crowd of starlings rose from 

 their resting-places, and after a preliminary circle in the air 

 they closed upon the hawk and began to mob her, screaming 



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