_ CHAPTER EIGHT. THE DRAIN PROGRESSES
The number of workers increased at the sea-bank, quite a colony growing up, and Dick paid several visits to the place with his father to see how busily the men were delving, while others built up what was termed a _gowt_--a flood-gate arrangement for keeping out the sea at high water, and opening it at low, so as to give egress to the drain-water collected from the fen-land.
Both lads were eager enough to be there to witness the progress of the works at first; but after going again and again, they voted the whole thing to be uninteresting, and no more worth seeing than the digging of one of the ditches on the farms at home.
And certainly there was no more difference than in the fact that the ditches at home were five or six feet wide, while the one the adventurers were having cut through the fen-land would be forty feet, and proportionately deep.
So the big drain progressed foot by foot, creeping on as it were from the sea-shore, an innocent-looking channel that seemed valueless, but which would, when finished, rid the land of its stagnant water, and turn the boggy, peaty soil of the fen into rich pasture and corn-land, whereas its finest produce now was wild-fowl and a harvest of reeds.
"We're getting on, neighbour," said the squire to Farmer Tallington one evening.
"Ay, but it's slow work," said Tom's father. "It'll be years before that lode is cooten."
"Yes, it will be years before it is finished," said the squire, "certainly."
"Then, what's the good of us putting our money in it, eh? It'll do us no good, and be robbing our boys."
"Then why don't you leave off, father?" said Tom stoutly. "Dick Winthorpe and I don't want the fen to be drained, and we don't want to be robbed. Do we, Dick?"
The two elders laughed heartily, and the squire was silent for a few minutes before he began to speak.
"The drain's right, neighbour," he said gravely. "Perhaps you and I will reap no great benefit from it; though, if we live, we shall; but instead of leaving to our boys, when they take up our work, neighbour, either because we are called away to our rest or because we have grown old, these farms with so much good land and so much watery bog, we shall leave them acre upon acre of good solid land, that has been useless to us, but which will bear them crops and feed their beasts."
"Yes," said Farmer Tallington, "there's something in that, but--"
"Come, neighbour, look ahead. Every foot that drain comes into the fen it will lower the level, and we shall see--and before long--our farm land grow, and the water sink."
"Ye-es; but it's so like working for other people!"
"Well," said the squire laughing, "what have you been doing in that half acre of close beside your house?"
"That! Oh, only planted it with pear-trees so as to make a bit of an orchard!"
"Are you going to pick a crop of pears next year, neighbour?"
"Next year! Bah! They'll be ten years before they come well into bearing." [This was the case with the old-fashioned grafting.]
"So will the acres laid bare by the draining," said the squire smiling, "and I hope we shall live to see our boys eating the bread made from corn grown on that patch of water and reeds, along with the pears from your trees."
"That's a clincher," said the farmer. "You've coot the ground from under me, neighbour, and I wean't grudge the money any more."
"I wish father wouldn't say _coot_ and _wean't_!" whispered Tom, whose school teaching made some of the homely expressions and bits of dialect of the fen-land jar.
"Why not? What does it matter?" said Dick, who was busy twisting the long hairs from a sorrel nag's tail into a fishing-line.
"Sounds so broad. Remember how the doctor switched Bob Robinson for saying he'd been _agate_ early."
"Yes, I recollect," said Dick, tying a knot to keep the hairs from untwisting; "and father said he ought to have been ashamed of himself, for _agate_ was good old Saxon, and so were all the words our people use down here in the fen. I say, what are they talking about now?"
"Well, for my part," said the squire rather hotly, in reply to some communication his visitor had made, "so long as I feel that I'm doing what is right, no threats shall ever stop me from going forward."
"But they seem to think it arn't right," said the farmer. "Those in the fen say it will ruin them."
"Ruin! Nonsense!" cried the squire. "They'll have plenty of good land to grow potatoes, and oats, instead of water, which produces them a precarious living from wild-fowl and fish, and ruins no end of them with rheumatism and fever."
"Yes, but--"
"But what, man? The fen-men who don't cultivate the soil are very few compared to those who do, and the case is this. The fen-land is growing about here, and good land being swallowed up by the water. Five acres of my farm, which used to be firm and dry, have in my time become water-logged and useless. Now, are the few to give way to the many, or the many to give way to the few?"
"Well, squire, the few think we ought to give way to them."
"Then we will not," said the squire hotly; "and if they don't know what's for their good, they must be taught. You know how they will stick to old things and refuse to see how they can be improved."
"Ay, it's their nature, I suppose. All I want is peace and quietness."
"And you'll have it. Let them threaten. The law is on our side. They will not dare."
"I don't know," said Farmer Tallington, scratching his head as they walked out into the home close. "You see, squire, it wean't be open enemies we shall have to fear--"
"The Winthorpes never feared their enemies since they settled in these parts in the days of King Alfred," said Dick grandly.
"Hear, hear, Dick!" cried his father, laughing.
"No more did the Tallingtons," said Tom, plucking up, so as not to be behindhand.
"Nay, Tom, my lad," said the farmer, "Tallingtons was never fighting men. Well, squire, I thought I'd warn you."
"Of course, of course, neighbour. But look here, whoever sent you that cowardly bit of scribble thought that because you lived out here in this lonely place you would be easily frightened. Look here," he continued, taking a scrap of dirty paper out of his old pocket-book; "that bit of rubbish was stuck on one of the tines of a hay-fork, and the shaft driven into the ground in front of my door. I said nothing about it to you, but you see I've been threatened too."
He handed the paper to Farmer Tallington, who read it slowly and passed it back.
"Same man writ both, I should say."
"So should I--a rascal!" said the squire. "Here, Dick, don't say a word to your mother; it may alarm her."
"No, father, I sha'n't say anything; but--"
"But what? Speak out."
"May I read it--and Tom?" he added, for he saw his companion's eager looks.
"Well, yes, you've heard what we've been talking about--what neighbour Tallington came over for."
"Yes, father," said Dick, taking the piece of paper, and feeling very serious, since he knew that it contained a threat. But as soon as he grasped its contents--looking at them as a well-educated lad for his days, fresh from the big town grammar-school--he slapped his thigh with one hand, and burst into a roar of laughter, while his father looked on with a grim smile.
"What is it, Dick?" cried Tom eagerly.
"Here's a game!" cried Dick. "Just look!"
There was not much on the paper, and that was written in a clumsy printing-letter fashion, beneath a rough sketch, and with another to finish.
"Why, here's a hollow turnip and two sticks!" cried Dick aloud; "and-- and what is it, Tom?"
'stope the dyke
or yow hev 2
dighe'
"Stop the dyke or you'll have to dig," said Tom eagerly. "You'll have to dig! Does he mean dig the ditch?"
"No!" roared Dick; "that's the way he spells die, and that long square thing's meant for a coffin."
"Yes, Dick, and that's the spirit in which to take such a cowardly threat--laugh at it," said the squire, replacing the letter in his pocket-book. "I only wish I knew who sent it. Who's this coming?"
"Why, it's Dave!" cried Tom eagerly, as the man came slowly along one of the winding lanes of water in his punt.
"Oh, yes, I remember!" said the squire; "he was here yesterday and said he would come and fetch you, Dick, if you liked to go, over to the decoy."
"And you never said a word about it, father! Here, come along, Tom."
The latter glanced at his father, but read consent in his eyes, and the two lads dashed off together.
"Seems to be letting him idle a deal," said Farmer Tallington thoughtfully.
"Not it," said the squire. "They're both very young and growing. Let them enjoy themselves and grow strong and hearty. They've had a long turn at school, and all this will do them good."
"Ay, it'll mak 'em grow strong and lusty if it does nowt else," said the farmer.
"And as to the big drain," said the squire; "we're farmers, neighbour, even if I do work my land as much for pleasure as for profit."
"Ay, but what's that to do with it?"
"This," said the squire, smiling; "a man who puts his hand to the plough should not look back."
"That's true," said Farmer Tallington; "but when he gets a letter to say some one's going to kill him, and draws coffins on the paper, it's enough to mak' him look back."
"It's all stuff, neighbour! Treat it as I do--with contempt."
"Ah! you see you're a gentleman, squire, and a bit of a scholar, and I'm only a plain man."
"A good neighbour and a true Englishman, Tallington; and I'm glad my son has so good and frank a companion as your boy. There, take my advice: treat all this opposition with contempt."
"Theer's my hand, squire," said Farmer Tallington. "You nivver gave me a bad bit of advice yet, and I'll stick to what you say--but on one condition."
"What's that?" said the squire, smiling.
"You'll let me grumble now and then."
Long before Farmer Tallington had parted from the squire at the beginning of the rough track which led from the Priory to Grimsey, Dick and Tom were down by the water's edge waiting for Dave, who came up with a dry-looking smile upon his face--a smile which looked as if it were the withered remains of a last year's laugh.
"How are you, Dave?" cried Dick. "We only just knew you were coming. Are there plenty of ducks?"
"Mebbe. Few like," said Dave in the slow way of a man who seldom speaks.
"_Wuph_! _wuph_!" came from the boat.
"What! Chip, boy! how are you?" cried Dick, patting the dog, which seemed to go half mad with delight at having someone to make a fuss over him, and then rushed to Tom to collect a few more friendly pats and words.
"Shall we get in, Dave?" cried Tom.
"Get in, lad! Why, what for?"
"Now, Dave, don't go on like that," cried Dick impatiently. "Let's get on, there's a good fellow. I do want to see you work the decoy."
"Oh, you don't care for that! 'Sides, I want to go to Hickathrift's to see his dunky pigs."
"Nonsense! What do you want to see the dunks for?"
"Thinking o' keeping a pig o' my own out thar, lads. It's rayther lonesome at times; and," he added quite seriously, "a pig would be company."
The boys looked at one another and smothered a laugh for fear of giving offence.
"What, with a place like a jolly island all to yourself, where you live like a Robinson Crusoe and can keep tame magpies and anything you like, and your boat, and your dog, and eel-spear?"
"And nets," put in Tom.
"And fishing-lines," said Dick.
"And gun," said Tom.
"Ay, lads," said Dave gravely; "seems aw reight to you, but it be lonesome sometimes when the bootherboomps get running out o' the reeds in the dark evenings and then go sailing high up and round and round."
"Oh, I should like that!" said Dick.
"Nay, lad, yow wouldn't. It would scar yow. Then o' soft warm nights sometimes the frogs begins, and they go on crying and piping all round you for hours."
"Pooh!" said Tom; "who'd mind a few frogs?"
"And then o' still nights theer's the will o' the wipses going about and dancing over the holes in the bog."
"I say, Dave, what is a will o' the wisp really like?"
"What! heven't you niver seen one, lad?" said Dave, as he seated himself on the edge of the boat.
"No; you see we've always been away at school. I can remember one of our men--Diggles it was--pointing out one on a dark night when I was quite young, and I saw some kind of light, and I was such a little fellow then that I ran in--frightened."
"Ay, they do frecken folk," said Dave, putting a piece of brown gum in his mouth; "only you must be careful which way you run or you may go right into the bog and be smothered, and that's what the wills like."
"Like! why, they're only lights," said Tom.
"They'm seem to you like lights, but they be kind o' spirits," said Dave solemnly; "and they wants you to be spirits, too, and come and play with 'em, I s'pose."
"But, Dave, never mind the will o' the wisps. Come on to the 'coy."
"Nay, it's no use to go there; the nets that goes over the pipes has been charmed [gnawed] by the rats."
"Yes, I know," cried Dick, laughing; "and you've put all new ones. I heard you tell father so, and he paid you ever so much money. He's only playing with us, Tom."
Dave laughed like a watchman's rattle, whose wooden spring had grown very weak.
"Look here, Dave, now no nonsense! Want some more powder?"
"Nay, I don't want no poother," said Dave.
"Do you want some lead to melt down? I'll give you a big lump."
"Nay, I don't want no poother, and I don't want no lead," said Dave in an ill-used tone. "I can buy what I want."
"He does want it, Dick."
"Nay, I don't, lad; and things a man do want nobody asks him to hev."
"Why, what do you want, Dave?"
"Oh, nowt! I don't want nowt. But there is times when a man's a bit ill out there in the fen, and he gets thinking as a drop o' sperrits 'd do him good. But I d'n know."
"All right, Dave! I won't forget," said Dick. "Jump in, Tom."
"Nay, what's the good?" said Dave.
"All right, Tom! He's going to take us to the 'coy."
Tom followed his companion into the boat, the dog leaped in after them, whining with pleasure; and shaking his head and talking to himself, Dave followed, seized the pole, giving a grunt at Dick, who wanted to preside over the locomotion, and then, with a tremendous thrust, he sent the punt surging through the water.
"Nay, I'll pole," he said. "Get us over sooner, and we can begin work."
Dick exchanged glances with his companion, and they sat playing with the dog and watching the birds that rose from the reeds or swept by in little flocks in the distance, till, after about half an hour's poling, Dave ran the boat into a narrow lane among the uncut reeds, after a warning to be quite still, which the lads observed and the dog understood, going forward and crouching down in front of his master, with his eyes glittering and ears quivering with the intense way in which he was listening.
The way through the reeds was long, and in spite of the stealthy way in which the boat was propelled, several birds were startled, and flew up quacking loudly, and went away.
At last, though, they emerged from the dry growth into a little open pool, and crossing this, landed by a low house thatched with reeds and hidden in a thick grove of alders.
"Now, lads," said Dave in a whisper, "not a word. Stay here while I go and look. I wean't be long."
He secured the boat to a stump of wood, and landed, leaving the lads seated in the punt, and gazing about them. But there was very little to see, for, save in the direction of the patch of reeds through which they had passed, there was a low dense growth of alders and willows running up to the height of twelve or fifteen feet; and it was beyond this that the sport was to be had.
They had not very long to wait before Dave returned, with Chip the piper at his heels--not that the dog had any musical gifts, but that he was clever in doing certain duties in connection with a pipe, as will be seen, and to perform these adequately utter silence was required.
Dave seemed quite transformed. His yellow face, instead of being dull and heavy, was full of anxious lines, his eyes twinkled, his mouth twitched and worked, and his brown wiry hands were fidgeting about his chin.
As he came up he held a finger in the air to command silence, and with stooping body and quick alert way he paused till he was close to the boys, and then whispered:
"You couldn't hev come better, lads; there's a boat load of 'em in the pond."
"What sort?" whispered Dick excitedly.
"All sorts, lad: widgeons, teal, mallards, and some pochards. Only mind, if you say a word aloud, or let that theer dog bark, we sha'n't get a duck."
Dick clapped his hand over his mouth, as if to ensure silence, and Tom compressed his lips.
"Come along, then, boys, and I'll set yow wheer yow can look through a hole in one o' the screens and see all the fun."
"But can't we help, Dave?" asked Tom.
"Help, lad! no, not till the ducks are in the net. Then you may. Now, not a word, and come on."
Dave led the way to the little house, where he filled his pockets with barley and oats mixed, out of a rough box, and as he did so he pointed to one corner which had been gnawed.
"Been charming of it," he whispered. "Eats! Now come, quiet-like;" and he stepped out and into a narrow path leading through the dense alder wood, and in and out over patches of soft earth which quivered and felt like sponges beneath their feet.
Dave glanced back at them sharply two or three times when a rustling sound was made, and signed to them to be careful. Then once he stopped in a wider opening and tossed up a feather or two, as if to make sure of the way the wind blew. Apparently satisfied, he bent towards the two lads and whispered:
"I'm going to the second pipe. Come quiet. Not a word, and when I mak' room for you, peep through the screen for a minute, and then come away."
The boys nodded, and followed in silence through a part of the alder wood which was not quite so dense, for here and there patches of tall reeds had grown out of a watery bed, and now stood up seven or eight feet high and dry and brown.
Then all at once Dave stopped and looked back at them with a sly kind of grin upon his face, as he pointed down to a strong net stretched loosely over some half hoops of ash, whose ends were stuck down tightly in the soft ground so as to form a tunnel about two feet wide.
This was over the soft earth, upon which lay the end of the net, tied round with a piece of cord. A few yards farther on, however, this first net was joined to another, and the tunnel of network was arched over a narrow ditch full of water, and this ditch gradually increased in width as the man led on, and ran in a curve, along whose outer or convex side they were proceeding.
Before long, as the bent-over willows spanned the ditch or "pipe," as it was called, the net ceased to come down quite to the ground, its place being occupied by screens made of reeds and stakes, and all so placed that there was room to go round them.
The boys now noted that the dog was following close behind in a way as furtive as his master, and apparently quite as much interested as he in what was to take place.
The water ditch increased in width rapidly now till the net tunnel became six feet, twelve feet, twenty feet, and, close to the mouth, twenty-four feet wide, while the light ash-poles, bent over and tied in the middle, were quite twelve feet above the water.
They were now near the mouth of the curved ditch, whose narrow portion bent round quite out of sight among the trees, while at a signal from Dave they went to a broad reed screen in front, and gazed through an opening, to see stretching out before them, calm and smooth beneath the soft grey wintry sky, a large pool of about a couple of acres in extent, surrounded by closely growing trees similar to those through which they had passed, while at stated intervals were openings similar to that by which they stood, in all five in number, making a rough star whose arms or points were ditches or pipes some five-and-twenty feet wide, and curving off, to end, as above told, sixty or seventy yards from the mouth, only two feet wide, and covered right along with net.
All this was well-known to them before, and they hardly gave it a second glance. What took their attention were some half dozen flocks of water-fowl seated calmly on the smooth surface of the pool and a couple of herons standing in the shallow water on the other side, one so hitched up that he seemed to have no neck, the other at his full height, and with bill poised ready to dart down at some unfortunate fish.
Here and there a moor-hen or two swam quietly about flicking its black-barred white tail. There were some coots by a bed of reeds, and a couple of divers, one of which disappeared from time to time in the most business-like manner, and came up at the end of a long line of bubbles many yards away.
Nearest to them was a large flock of quite a hundred ordinary wild ducks, for the most part asleep, while the others sat motionless upon the water or swam idly about, all waiting patiently in the secluded pool, which seemed to them a sanctuary, for nightfall, when slugs and snails would be out and other things in motion, ready to supply them with a banquet on some of their far-off feeding grounds. The drakes were already distinct enough from the sober-feathered ducks, but the former were not in their spring plumage, when they would put on their brightest colours and their heads glisten in green and gold.
Away to the left were a number of flat-looking squatty-shaped pochards with their brown heads and soft grey backs, while to the right were plenty of widgeons and another little flock of teal, those pretty miniature ducks, with here and there a rarer specimen, among which were pintails, drakes with the centre feathers of the tail produced like those of a parroquet.
The lads could have stopped for an hour gazing at the manners and customs of the wild-fowl dotting the lake in happy unconsciousness of the enemies so near; but, just as Dick had fixed his eyes upon a solitary group of about a couple of dozen ducks nearly across the pond, he felt a tug behind him, and turning, there was Dave signing to him to come away.
Dave made the lads follow him till he could place them in among the trees with a tuft of reeds before them, which proved sufficient screen and yet gave them a view of part of the pool, and the entrance to the pipe upon whose bank they had been standing.
"Now, look here, bairns," he whispered; "if you move or says a word, there'll be no ducks."
The lads nodded and crouched in their places, while Dave disappeared behind them, but appeared again close to the screen of reed which hid him from the birds in the pool.
Matters were so exciting now as the watchers looked on that Dick relieved his feelings by pinching Tom's leg, and then holding up his fist, as if in promise of what was to follow if he made a sound.
Meanwhile, with Chip close at his heels, Dave went to the farthest screen and peered through the opening, and after satisfying himself they saw him thrust one hand into his pocket and make a sign to Chip, while almost simultaneously he scattered a handful of the oats and barley right over the water, the grain falling through the meshes of the outspread net.
Just then Chip, in the most quiet matter-of-fact way, made his appearance on the fore-shore of the pool, and, without barking or taking notice of the ducks, trotted slowly along toward the entrance to the pipe, leaped over a low piece of wood, and disappeared from sight to join his master behind the screen, when the dog was rewarded for what he had done with a piece of cheese.
The coming of the dog, however, had created quite a commotion upon the lake, for the knot of two dozen ducks on the other side no sooner caught sight of him than, uttering a prodigious quacking, they came swimming and half flying as rapidly as they could toward the mouth of the pipe, to begin feeding upon the oats scattered upon the water.
"Look at the decoy-ducks," whispered Dick, and then he watched in silence, for these two dozen were regularly fed wild-fowl which had become so far half tame that, knowing the appearance of the dog to be associated with corn and other seeds at the mouth of the pipe, they came at once.
This was too much for the strangers, which followed them, mingled with them, and began to feed as well.
Dave was at this time behind the second screen waiting for Chip, who showed himself for a moment or two at the edge of the long water ditch, trotted on towards the second screen, leaped over a low wood bar at the end, and joined his master, to receive a second piece of cheese.
That white dog was a wonder to the wild ducks, which left off eating directly and began to swim slowly and cautiously up the netted tunnel to try and find out what he was doing.
Had Chip stopped and looked at them, and barked, they would all have taken flight, but the dog was too well taught. He was a piper of the highest quality, and knew his business, which was to show himself for a short time and then trot on to the next screen and leap over and disappear just as if he were engaged in some mysterious business of his own.
This was too much for the ducks, which cackled and bobbed their heads up and down and swam on, moved by an intense curiosity to find out what was Chip's particular game.
But Chip's proceedings were stale to the decoy-ducks, who had seen him so often that they cared nothing, but stopped behind to partake of the food, while quite a hundred followed their leaders up the pipe in happy ignorance of the meaning of a net. What was more, the decoy-ducks often found food at the mouths of the pipes when their wild relatives were off feeding, and hence they troubled themselves no more. All that was impressed upon their small brains was that the appearance of Chip meant food, and they stayed behind to feed.
Chip was invisible eating a piece of cheese. Then he appeared again higher up, trotted on, leaped over the low wood bar, and joined his master for more cheese.
And so it went on, Dave going higher and higher from screen to screen, and the dog slowly following and alternately appearing to and disappearing from the sight of the ducks, which never of course caught sight of Dave, who was too well hidden behind the screens.
At last they were lured on and on so far by the dog that they were where the ditch began to bend round more sharply and the pipe was narrowing. This was the time for a fresh proceeding.
Dave had gone on right up to the farthest screen, and suddenly dived into a narrow path through the trees which led him, quite concealed from view, round and back to the first screen. He passed the boys, making them a sign to be silent, and then went right round that first screen just as Chip was appearing far up by the side of the pipe--and the flock of ducks were following--and quickly now showed himself at the mouth of the trap.
The ducks saw him instantly, and there was a slight commotion as he took off and held up his hat; but there was no attempt at flight, the birds merely swam on rapidly farther toward the end and disappeared round the curve.
Dave went quickly on past a screen or two and showed himself again, the curve of the pipe bringing him once more into view. He held up his hat and the ducks swam on, out of sight once more.
This was continued again and again, till the ducks were driven by degrees from where the ditch and its arching of net decreased from eight feet wide to six feet, to four feet, to two feet, and the flock was huddled together, and safe in the trap that had been prepared for them.
All at once, while the two lads were watching all these proceedings, Dave came into sight for a moment and waved his hand for them to come, but signed to them at the same time to be quiet.
It was as well that he did, for otherwise they would have uttered a shout of triumph.
"We've got 'em, lads," he said, with his yellow face puckered up with satisfaction; "but don't make a noise. I like to keep the 'coy quiet. Come along!"
"Is there any fear of their getting away now, Dave?" whispered Dick as he followed.
"Yes, to market," said Dave grimly.
As they neared the end of the pipe there was a loud cackling and fluttering heard, and the ducks were disposed to make a rush back, but the sight of the man sent them all onward once more to the end of the pipe, where they were driven to leave the water for the dry land, over which the net was spread for the last few yards, forming a gigantic purse or stocking.
And now a tremendous fluttering and excitement ensued, for as, in obedience to their leader's sign, the lads stopped once more, Dave stepped forward rapidly, detached the final portion of the net which formed the bag or purse from the bent-over ash stick, and twisted it together and tied it round, with the result that the birds were all shut up in the long purse and at his mercy.
Just then Chip performed a kind of triumphal dance, and leaped up at Dick and again at Tom before becoming quiescent, and looking up at all in turn, giving his little stumpy tail a few wags, while his whole aspect seemed to say:
"Didn't we do that well?"
"That's a fine take, my lads," said Dave in congratulatory tones.
"Yes," said Dick, looking down at the frightened birds scuffling over each other; "but--"
"Nay! don't, man, say that!" cried Dave. "I know, my lad. But wild duck's good to yeat; and they've got to be killed and go to market. Yow wanted to see me ketch the duck, and theer they are. Going to help me kill 'em?"
"No!" cried Dick in a voice full of disgust. But he helped carry the capture to the boat after the slaying was at an end and the empty short net replaced, ready distended at the end of the tunnel or pipe.
"There we are!" said Dave. "Ready for another flock?"
"And are you going to try for another in one of the pipes over the other side?"
"Nay, not to-day, my lad," was the reply. "The 'coy-ducks wean't be hungry and come for their food, so we'll wait for another time."
"Don't the 'coy-ducks ever go right away, Dave?" asked Tom, as the boat was being quietly poled back.
"Sometimes; but not often, and if they do some others taks their places, and stops. They get fed reg'lar, and that's what a duck likes. Good uns to eat, ducks. They mak' nests and bring off broods of young ones, and keep to the pool year after year, and seem to know me a bit; but if Chip here went barking among 'em, or I was to go shooting, they'd soon be driven away."
"But do they know that they are leading the wild ducks into the pipe?" said Dick eagerly.
"_Not_ they. Ducks can't think like you and me. They come to be fed, and the others follow 'em, and then get thinking about Chip and follow him."
"Does Chip know?" said Tom.
"Ask him," said Dave, laughing in his grim, silent way. "I think he doos, but he never said so. Hello!"
They were passing the edge of a great bed of reeds, and rounding a corner, when they came in sight of three or four teal, and no sooner did the birds catch sight of them than they began to scurry along the water preparatory to taking flight, but all at once there was a rush and a splash, and the party in the boat saw a huge fish half throw itself out of the water, fall back, and disappear.
"He caught him," said Dave grimly. "You see, lad, other things 'sides me ketches the ducks."
"A great pike!" cried Dick, standing up to try and catch sight of the tyrant of the waters.
"Ay! One as likes duck for dinner. He'll eat him without picking his feathers off."
"Wasn't it a very big one, Dave?" cried Tom.
"Ay, lad, a thirty-pounder like enew," said Dave, working his pole.
"Dave, shall you know this place again?" cried Dick.
"Should I know my own hand!"
"Then let's come over and try for that fellow to-morrow or next day."
"Right, lad! I'll come. We'll set some liggers, and I dessay we can get hold of him. If we can't theer's plenty more."
"To-morrow, Dave?"
"Nay, I shall be getting off my ducks. Two hundred wants some seeing to."
"Next day, then?"
"Say Saturday, my lads. That'll give me time to get a few baits."
So Saturday was appointed for the day with the pike, and the ducks and the boys were duly landed, the latter to go homeward with four couples each, and Dick with strict orders to ask the squire whether he wanted any more, before they were sent off in Hickathrift's car to the town. _