ious feeling of excitement came over me as I
thought of the lovely amber plumes of these birds, and wondered whether
I should be fortunate enough to bring one down.

All at once Ebo stopped beneath an enormous tree, and as we crept up
close to its mighty trunk we gazed up into the darkness and could here
and there catch a glimpse of a star; in fact, so black was it, that but
for the cries of the various birds we heard, it might have been taken
for the middle of the night.

There was nothing to see but an almost opaque blackness, though now and
then I fancied I could make out a great branch crossing above my head.
It seemed nonsense to have come, but the loud cry of one of the birds we
sought, sounded loudly just then and silenced my doubts. I raised my
gun ready for a shot, but could see nothing.

Just then my uncle whispered with his lips to my ear: "Don't make a
sound, and don't fire till you have a good chance. Look out."

The loud quok, quok, quok, was answered from a distance, repeated above
our heads, and then there was the whistle of wings plainly heard in the
solemn silence of the forest, and all this repeated again overhead till
it seemed as if we were just beneath a tree where the birds of paradise
met for discussion, like the rooks at home in the elms. But no matter
how I strained my eyes I could not distinguish a single bird.

The minutes went by, and I longed for the light, for though I knew it
would betray our presence, still I might catch sight of one bird and
bring it down. But the light did not come, and as my arms ached with
holding up my gun I lowered it, and patiently waited with my heart
beating heavily, as I listened to the cries that were on the increase.

All at once I felt an arm glide over my shoulder, and I could just make
out that Ebo was pointing upward with his black finger steadily in one
direction.

I tried to follow it but could see nothing, and I was thinking how much
better a savage's sight was than ours, when from out of the darkness
there came the hoarse "_Hawk, hawk, hawk; quok, quok, quok_," and as the
cry seemed to direct my eye, I fancied that I could see something moving
slightly at a very great height, bowing and strutting like a pigeon. I
looked and looked again and could not see it; then a star that was
peeping through the leaves seemed to be suddenly hidden, and there was
the movement again.

I forgot all about my uncle's orders about not firing until I had a go