THE WATER-HEN 
ways, but the chicks, who were as light as 
dandelion puffs, could step from one floating 
leaf to another without slipping down. 
For the first two days of the chicks' free 
existence Cearc-uise never took them ashore. 
They. loved to paddle along in the danger zone 
close to the bank until she anxiously called 
them into the open water. There she had 
built a floating raft of weeds where they could 
rest and bask between meals, and she could 
relax her watchfulness a little. Thus by in- 
cessant care the family circle was kept intact 
for two days. On the third evening only five 
of the chicks answered the summons to roost, 
and for all her vigilance Cearc-uise had not 
seen the sixth disappear. She only suspected 
the rat. 
Four of the remaining chicks were so much 
alike that to name them would be superfluous. 
Only the youngest, the runt of the family who 
had been untimely jostled into life by the 
vixen's raid, was small and slow in growth with 
an insatiable appetite and voice of perpetual 
complaint. 
Meanwhile the drought increased. At first there 
had been heavy dews at night, but as time went 
on the nights were as hot as the day. The 
water in the Dark Pool was always warm now 
and smelt evilly, as more and more of the 
23 
