Part 41 (1/2)
Turning away to look down the deep depression, he began to watch the birds again, when he was impressed by the cry of one which see overhead, soe in which lay the niche containing the old lanthorn
”Ahoy-oy-oy!” he cried, softly, trying to iull's querulous cry
”Tah! tah! That's a jackdaw,” said Aleck, half aloud ”Plain enough; but that ull
Black-backed perhaps, with a bad cold through getting wet I wonder whether a gull could be taught to talk! I don't see why not Let's see, parrots can be taught, of course, and cockatoos learn to say a feords So do jackdaws and starlings, but very few Oh, yes! then there's the raven Uncle said he knew of one at an old country inn that used to say 'Co, sir,' whenever anyone called for the ostler Then there are those Indian birds they call Mynahs Uncle says that soain! It's just like 'Ahoy-oy-oy-oy!' Plain enough to deceive anyone if it caull that -tiet two or three of the young ones to bring up If they can say what sounds soht to be possible to teach one to sayover in histo the conclusion that unless it was soreat vocal powers, it could not be the black-backed nor the lesser black-backed, nor the black-headed herring gull or kittiwake
”I don't knohat it is,” he said, ”but, whatever it ood one to talk,” and as he listened he heard the peculiar, weird, wailing cry again, sounding so like ”Ahoy!”
”Gone now,” said Aleck, half aloud, as he keenly watched in the direction of the cry, which had now ceased ”It ht as well have flown over this way instead of down over the cliff Hooray! There it goes!”
He shaded his eyes to follow the steady regular course of a large bronze black bird flying close down the trough-like depression, as close to the bottom as it could keep clear of the rocks, till it reached the end, where it dipped doards the sea and disappeared
”Well, I'h; ”lived ever since I can remember close to the sea, and been told the name of every bird that comes here in the winter and in the su Well, say that cry, for it was very different fro a regular gorge, and ended by sing a weevil The little wretch set up its spines, I suppose, as it was going down and stuck, et rid of it If ever I' with anyone who hears that noise and wants to knohat it is I can tell hi froain, for the cutter's boat ca close in once more, to be hidden by the perpendicular cliffs
”Gone,” he said to himself ”Well, they will not find the poor fellow, for I don't believe they can search any better than we did It's very dreadful Nice, good-looking chap; as clever as clever cocky and stuck-up; but what of that? Fellow gets into a uniform and has a cocked hat and a sword, it makes him feel that he is so with the boat ashore over that press-gang kidnapping business, and the boat goes back without him I wonder whether he was better off than I am, with a father and mother!
They'll have to know soon, and then I wonder what they'll say!”
Aleck gave another look round, sweeping the sea, and carrying his gaze round to the land, and then starting
”There it is again!” he said, eagerly, as his eyes rested upon the distant black and white object inland ”Coet a shot at you this ti his eyes fixed upon the squat-looking object alass ”I believe it must be a black and white rabbit There are brown and white ones sometimes, for I've seen them, so I don't see why there shouldn't be black and white Got you at last, hed ”How absurd! Why, it's Eben Megg's wife; just her face with the patch of black hair showing above that bit of rock she's hiding behind Why, shefor ain for poor Eben”
Aleck closed his glass and rose tothe cliff and leave the place clear, a feeling of gentleht off and not intrude his presence upon one whoterribly from anxiety and pain
”It seeht on without once turning his head in the woman's direction; ”but somehow it only seems fair that both sides should suffer She's all in ed away Yes, he said he'd coreat chance if she ever sees hi ain I don't like it, and it's a great pity there's so much trouble in the world Look at poor uncle! Why, I don't knohat real trouble is I one off to sea all in a huff after what uncle said, and then ht have come back as badly off as poor old Double Dot Well, I'ain with my poor Eben Why should I talk like that about a gler? He was never friendly towants men or whether he doesn't, I just hate Eben so much that if he wanted to escape back to his wife and asked lers had caught that youngto ill-use him--kill him perhaps--why, I'd help him too It's very stupid to be like that perhaps, sort of Jack o' both sides, but I suppose it's hoas made, and it isn't ry I do feel!”
The coast was clear for Eben Megg's wife, and as soon as the lad was out of sight she once more made her way towards the cliff
CHAPTER TWENTY ONE
Aleck went along the cliff the next day to look out for the boat, fully intending to turn back if he caught sight of Eben's wife; but as far as he could make out she was nowhere in that direction Still he concluded that she ht possibly come to the place she affected, so he deter himself down to the shelf in which was the niche or crack, in the belief that he could get a fair view over the sea fro quite out of the wo hiave one hasty look round, to come to the conclusion directly after that if the poor woht his favourite look-out spot he could not have chosen a worse place, for he would be in full view, no matter where he crouched
”I know,” he said to hiet over here and lie down in the crack on the other side”
He began to cli for the hole where the lanthorn and tinder-box still lay tucked tightly in beyond the reach of the wind; and the next onally upward, he caht down more and more deeply, so that forty or fifty yards away he could not see the botto a vast crack formed by a sudden subsidence of the rocky cliff
He was now out of sight froratulating hi-place and look-out co a for falling down here,” he argued, and he looked outward, to see that this was one of the narrowest, deepest and iddy to look down and ireatest care was necessary for anyone to move about; and as he dropped down upon his knees it ith a feeling of relief and safety, for accusto about upon the cliffs, this one particular spot looked giddy and wild