WILD LIFE ON THE WING 
that in another moment he would be within 
range of the heron's thrust, and ran across the 
weed-bed calling in the hope that he would 
hear in time. He turned, and instantly the 
deadly bill darted at him. There was a gurgle 
and a splash, and then the channel in front of 
the heron was empty. 
The stream had no more voice to tell the woods 
that the Pool had seen the end of another moor- 
hen, but Karruck and Cearc-uise related the sad 
story over and over again ; and even after the 
murderer had departed, their sorrowful voices 
could be heard faintly as far away as the river 
bank. 
IX 
The next day, in spite of their fears, the 
parents took the four remaining chicks ashore 
to feed. Normally the Pool had shallows 
round the edge, and a deeper hole in the 
middle ; but now the water was so low that 
all the shallows were dry and covered with a 
spongy mass of whitened weed and slime where 
even the mint plants wilted, while all that was 
left of the Dark Pool was a pitiful travesty ten 
feet square, warm and dirty. Therefore in the 
afternoon they went a little way up the bed of 
the stream, which was now only a disconnected 
series of muddy puddles. 
26 
