'BY STREAM AND RIVER' 



161 



chickens, one or two of which made a dainty addi- 

 tion to my larder, as did also some young wild ducks, 

 who turned up one day among the rushes from 

 somewhere inland. I was not allowed many out of 

 either brood, for their fidgety parents made a great 

 fuss when they began to disappear, and carried them 

 off miles downstream. It was a great disappoint- 

 ment to me when they vanished ; I was taking 

 them so carefully and quietly that I did not think 

 that they could possibly be missed, and they were 

 very delicious. 



One day I tried a frog, and he was not bad, 

 though nothing to rave about — rather cold and 

 insipid, but he reminded me a little of young 

 chicken. A squirmy eel was much better — full of 

 oil and flavour. He and I happened to take a walk 

 on the same night. I wonder if he had any shadowy 

 presentiment that it was to be his last 1 There was a 

 small pond, lying just across one meadow, where I 

 hoped that I might pick up something succulent, 

 but I never expected to pick up such a delicacy as 

 an eel. I had been fancying dainty trifles for 

 several days, just as you fancy a jelly. I over- 

 ^ took him about halfway across the field, toiling 

 laboriously over the gi'ass. For one horrid moment 

 I thought that he was a snake, but I saw the moon- 



11 



