A PIRATE RAID. 121 
without hiding her mistrust. The thrushes 
followed—one, with a snail in his beak, being 
intercepted and made to ‘stand and deliver’ 
by the sea rovers. The partridges rose with a 
cackle and a whir. 
Soon the field was empty, save for the gulls, 
who continued, restless and eager and without 
peace, to search its length. One found and 
slew a dainty harvest mouse, and was instantly 
set upon by a crowd of his fellows; another, 
the scout, discovered a short-tailed field-vole, 
who fought gallantly, only to have his head 
split open by a dig from that red beak with 
hooked ‘ nail’ at the top; others found worms ; 
others, again, grubs. All was fish which came 
to their net, it seemed. 
So they fed till evening came, and the sun, 
sinking, shot copper and blood-red lines athwart 
the field, turned the woods to port-wine, and 
the meadows to starred wonders. 
Then you behold them, these gulls of ours, 
standing all motionless, all facing one way, in 
a compact circle in the middle of the red field, 
looking just like a patch of snow, full fed. 
They had the air of people who, having finished 
work, are waiting for something. They were. 
At last, and quite suddenly, they rose, lifted 
like a sheet of white, all together, and all flying 
steadily and quickly, and more quickly, up 
aw. I 
