Part 31 (1/2)

While we were yet gazing after them, they reappeared, and settled quietly on the dove-cot; but as we congratulated ourselves on a return which showed they accepted this as a home, up sprang the three blue pigeons, the n.o.ble foreigners, for whom chiefly I had planned the house, and rising in circles high in air, winged their rapid way direct towards Falconhurst.

Their departure had such air of determination and resolve about it, that I feared them lost to us for ever.

Endeavouring to console ourselves by petting our four remaining birds, we could not forget this disappointment, and all day long the dove-cot remained the centre of attraction.

Nothing, however, was seen of the fugitives until about the middle of next day; when most of us were hard at work inside the cavern, Jack sprang in full of excitement, exclaiming:

'He is there! He is come! He really is!'

'Who? Who is there? What do you mean?'

'The blue pigeon, to be sure! Hurrah! Hurrah!'

'Oh, nonsense!' said Ernest. 'You want to play us a trick.'

'Why should it be ”nonsense”?' cried I. 'I fully believe we shall see them all soon!'

Out ran everybody to the dove-cot, and there, sure enough, stood the pretty fellow, but not alone, for he was billing and cooing to a mate, a stranger of his own breed, apparently inviting her to enter his dwelling; for he popped in and out at the door, bowing, sidling, and cooing, in a most irresistible manner, until the shy little lady yielded to his blandishments, and tripped daintily in.

'Now, let's shut the door. Pull the cord and close the panel!' shouted the boys, making a rush at the string.

'Stop!' cried I. 'Let the string alone! I won't have you frighten the little darlings. Besides, the others will be coming--would you shut the door in their faces?'

'Here they come! Here they come!' exclaimed Fritz, whose keen eye marked the birds afar, and to our delight the second blue pigeon arrived, likewise with a mate, whom, after a pretty little flirtation scene of real and a.s.sumed modesty on her part, he succeeded in leading home.

The third and handsomest of the new pigeons was the last in making his appearance. Perhaps he had greater difficulty than the others in finding a mate as distinguished in rank and beauty as himself. However, we fully expected them, and the boys talked of the arrival of 'Mr. and Mrs. Nicobar' as a matter of course.

Late in the day Franz and his mother went out to provide for supper, but the child returned directly, exclaiming that we must hasten to the dove-cot to see something beautiful.

Accordingly a general rush was made out of the cave, and we saw with delight that the third stranger also had returned with a lovely bride, and encouraged by the presence of the first arrivals, they soon made themselves at home.

In a short time nest-building commenced, and among the materials collected by the birds, I observed a long grey moss or lichen, and thought it might very possibly be the same which, in the West Indies, is gathered from the bark of old trees, where it grows, and hangs in great tuft-like beards, to be used instead of horse-hair for stuffing mattresses.

My wife no sooner heard of it, than her active brain devised fifty plans for making it of use. Would we but collect enough, she would clean and sort it, and there would be no end to the bolsters, pillows, saddles, and cus.h.i.+ons she would stuff with it.

For the discovery of nutmegs we had also to thank the pigeons, and they were carefully planted in our orchard. For some time no event of particular note occurred, until at length Jack, as usual, got into a sc.r.a.pe causing thereby no little excitement at home.

He went off early on one of his own particular private expeditions.

He was in the habit of doing this that he might surprise us with some new acquisition on his return.

This time, however, he came back in most wretched plight, covered with mud and green slime; a great bundle of Spanish canes was on his back, muddy and green like himself; he had lost a shoe, and altogether presented a ludicrous picture of misery, at which we could have laughed, had he not seemed more ready to cry!

'My dear boy! What has happened to you? Where have you been?'

'Only in the swamp behind the powder magazine, father,' replied he. 'I went to get reeds for my wickerwork, because I wanted to weave some baskets and hen-coops, and I saw such beauties a little way off in the marsh, much finer than those close by the edge, that I tried to get at them.

'I jumped from one firm spot to another, till at last I slipped and sank over my ankles; I tried to get on towards the reeds, which were close by, but in I went deeper and deeper, till I was above the knees in thick soft mud, and there I stuck!

'I screamed and shouted, but n.o.body came, and I can tell you I was in a regular fright.