ne or other of us to bring pieces of bread, and chuck them to
the water-fowl. For my part, I was very fond of this little piece of
extravagance; and, whenever I had the opportunity, I came to the lake
with my pockets crammed.

The fowls, and especially the swans, under this treatment had grown so
tame, that they would eat out of our hands, without exhibiting the
slightest fear of us.

There was a particular way of giving them their food, in which we used
to take great delight. On one side of the lake, there was a bank that
rose three feet or so above the surface of the water. Here the pond was
deep, and there was no chance for either the swans, or any other
creature, to land at this place without taking to wing. The bank was
steep, without either shelf or stair to ascend by. In fact, it rather
hung over, than shelved.

At this point we used to meet the swans, that were always ready to come
when they saw us; and then, placing the piece of bread in the split end
of a rod, and holding it out high above them, we enjoyed the spectacle
of the swans stretching up their long necks, and occasionally leaping
upward out of the water to snatch it, just as dogs would have done. All
this, you will perceive, was rare fun for boys.

Now I come to the promised adventure.

One day, I had proceeded to the pond, carrying my sloop with me as
usual. It was at an early hour; and on reaching the ground, I found
that none of my companions had yet arrived. I launched my sloop,
however; and then walked around the shore to meet her on the opposite
side.

There was scarcely a breath of wind, and the sloop sailed slowly. I was
therefore in no hurry, but sauntered along at my leisure. On leaving
home I had not forgotten the swans, which were my great pets: such
favourites, indeed, that I very much fear they induced me on more than
one occasion to commit small thefts for them; since the slices of bread
with which my pockets were crammed, had been rather surreptitiously
obtained from the domestic larder.

Be this as it may, I had brought their allowance along with me; and on
reaching the high bank, I halted to give it them.

All six, who knew me well, with proud arching necks and wings slightly
elevated, came gliding rapidly across the pond to meet me; and in a few
seconds arrived under the bank, where they moved about with upstretched
beaks, and eyes eagerly scanning my movements. They knew that I had
called them thither to be kin