H /IDarsb^lan^ IFnctbent 



for a moment on the mud at the edge of 

 the stream, then darted into the tall grass. 

 Gulls flew overhead, their wings shining 

 like snow against the blue sky. 



The prospect of a whole day alone in 

 the wood toward which I was going by 

 a flight so lively made my blood tingle; 

 and when at last, an hour after sunrise, I 

 stood on shore, waving good speed to the 

 returning boat, I was as happy as any 

 bird. In the distance lay the schooner, 

 as if on the marsh itself, her wide sails 

 curling gently. Behind me, less than a 

 bow-shot away, the oak-foliage and the 

 gray-green moss twinkled in the breeze. 

 I heard bird-voices, a red-cockaded wood- 

 pecker's most distinctly, in the first fringe 

 of the wood. 



Swinging my bag of luncheon over my 

 shoulder, and making sure that I had all of 

 my tackle, I went splashing through a bit 

 of rushy marsh direct to the nearest trees, 

 where there was a little bluff marking the 

 hummock's limit. Pretty soon I hung the 

 luncheon-bag on a bough and marked the 

 place. The breeze here was strong enough 

 151 



