as that," cried the lad.

"At home--no. But look at the shape of this bird--its wings, claws, and
build altogether; doesn't he look as if he could be a crow?"

"There is a slight resemblance, certainly," said Jack; "but this isn't a
bird of paradise."

"It is next door to one, my lad, and I am surprised to find it here."

"You know what it is then?"

"I know there's a northern Australian bird almost like it, if not quite.
I think it is the rifle bird. We'll have a good look when we get back.
Take special care of that one, Lenny."

"Ay, ay, sir. I takes special care of all of 'em, when the bushes and
thorns 'll let me."

They were well up the gully through which the stream off which the yacht
was anchored ran, for, finding the place rich in specimens, they had
toiled up higher and higher that morning.

Ned was for the first time of the party, on the condition that he would
be very careful, for his arm was still stiff and numb, though otherwise
he was much better; but he kept pretty close to his young master, and
let the men with him carry the guns and ammunition, and in several ways
made silent confession that he was not so strong as he was.

Jack noticed it, and made some allusion to the fact.

"Oh, don't you fidget about me, Mr Jack, I'm getting on glorious," said
the man quietly. "I feel as if the sun and wind up here were doing me
no end of good, drinking 'em in like. Doctor said I was to take it
coolly; so coolly I take it, as the sun 'll let me, so as to get strong
again as soon as I can. But, my word, what a place it is!"

"Lovely," said Jack. "It grows upon one."

"Ah, I should like to grow upon it," said Ned, grinning. "I don't feel
as if I should like to go away again."

"There's no place like home, Ned," said Jack, who had stopped to watch a
pair of vivid sun-birds probing the tiny trumpet blossoms of a white
creeper with their beaks.

"They say so, sir; but I say there's no place like this. When are we
going right up to the top?"

"When you are quite well, Ned. We should have started before now, but I
asked my father to put it off till you were strong enough to carry my
gun and wallet."

Ned said nothing, but he looked as if he thought a great deal, and when
he next spoke as they went on mounting the gully, it was directly after
the doctor had added a lovely kingfisher to the bag.

"I say, Mr Jack, sir, of course the doctor knows a deal, but do you
think he is always right?"