“Whoa hoo! whoa hoo! Drop it! Hoi!” shouted the boy; but the object addressed, a great grey heron, paid no heed, but went flapping slowly away on its widespread wings, its long legs stretched straight out behind to act as balance, and a small eel writhing and twisting itself into knots as it strove in vain to escape from the scissor-like bill.
“That’s where the eels go,” muttered the boy, as he hurried on, descending till he reached the shores of the lake, and then skirting it, with eyes searching its sunlit depths, to see here some golden-bronze pike half-hidden among lily leaves, shoals of roach flashing their silver sides in the shallows, and among the denser growth of weeds broad-backed carp basking in the hot sunshine, and at times lazily rolling over to display their golden sides.
“Oh yes, you’re big and old enough, but you don’t half bite. I’d rather have a day at our moat any time than here, proud as old Scar is of his big pond.”
As the lad reached the head of the lake, where the brown, clear waters of a rocky stream drained into it from the moor above, he caught sight of a few small trout, and, after crossing a little rough stone bridge, startled a couple of moor-hens, who in turn roused up some bald coots, the whole party fluttering away with drooping legs towards the other end of the lake. Here they swam about, twitching their tails, and dividing their time between watching the now distant intruder and keeping a sharp look-out for the great pike, which at times sought a change of diet from constant fish, and swallowed moor-hen or duckling, or even, preferring four-footed meat to fowl, seized upon some unfortunate rat.
“Hi, Nat!” shouted the boy, as he neared the grassy terrace in front of the hall, and caught sight of a sturdy-looking young man busy in the garden.
“Hullo, Master Fred!”
“Where’s Master Scarlett?”
“Where’s Master Scarlett, sir?” said the man, slowly and deliberately straightening his back, and resting upon the tool he handled.
“Yes. Don’t you say he has gone with them, or I’ll never give you a mug of cider again.”
“Well, I wasn’t going to say as Master Scar’s gone with ’em,” said the man, with a look of wonder in his eyes. “He was here a bit ago, though I didn’t see him.”