FREE BOOKS

Author's List




PREV.   NEXT  
|<   315   316   317   318   319   320   321   322   323   324   325   326   327   328   329   330   331   332   333   334   335   336   337   338   339  
340   341   342   343   344   345   346   347   348   349   350   351   352   353   354   355   356   357   358   359   360   361   362   363   364   >>   >|  
ng till July. There she sits, cowering, just on the edge of the reeds, uncertain whether to dive or fly. By the creak and cry of the cradle of thy first-born, Hamish, spare the plumage on her yearning and quaking breast. The little yellow images have all melted away, and are now, in holy cunning of instinct, deep down beneath the waters, shifting for themselves among the very mud at the bottom of the reeds. By-and-by they will be floating with but the points of their bills above the surface, invisible among the air-bells. The parent duck has also disappeared; the drake you disposed of, Hamish, as the coward was lifting up his lumbering body, with fat doup and long neck in the air, to seek safer skies. We male creatures--drakes, ganders, and men alike--what are we, when affection pleads, in comparison with females! In our passions, we are brave, but these satiated, we turn upon our heel and disappear from danger, like dastards. But doves, and ducks, and women, are fearless in affection to the very death. Therefore have we all our days, sleeping or waking, loved the sex, virgin and matron; nor would we hurt a hair of their heads, grey or golden, for all else that shines beneath the sun. Not the best practice this in the world, certainly, for pointers--and it may teach them bad habits on the hill; but, in some situations, all dogs and all men are alike, and cross them as you will, not a breed but shows a taint of original sin, when under a temptation sufficiently strong to bring it out. Ponto, Piro, and Basta, are now, according to their abilities, all as bad as O'Bronte--and never, to be sure, was there such a worrying in this wicked world. But now we shall cease our fire, and leave the few flappers that are left alive to their own meditations. Our conduct for the last hour must have seemed to them no less unaccountable than alarming, and something to quack over during the rest of the season. Well, we do not remember ever to have seen a prettier pile of ducks and ducklings. Hamish, take census. What do you say--two score? That beats cockfighting. Here's a hank of twine, Hamish, tie them altogether by the legs, and hang them, in two divisions of equal weights, over the crupper of Surefoot. THE MOORS. FLIGHT THIRD--STILL LIFE. We have been sufficiently slaughterous for a man of our fine sensibilities and moderate desires, Hamish; and as, somehow or other, the scent seems to be beginning not to lie well--yet
PREV.   NEXT  
|<   315   316   317   318   319   320   321   322   323   324   325   326   327   328   329   330   331   332   333   334   335   336   337   338   339  
340   341   342   343   344   345   346   347   348   349   350   351   352   353   354   355   356   357   358   359   360   361   362   363   364   >>   >|  



Top keywords:

Hamish

 

beneath

 

affection

 
sufficiently
 

habits

 
situations
 

conduct

 
flappers
 

pointers

 

meditations


abilities

 

Bronte

 

temptation

 

strong

 
worrying
 
original
 
wicked
 

season

 

Surefoot

 

FLIGHT


crupper
 

weights

 

altogether

 
divisions
 

beginning

 

slaughterous

 

sensibilities

 

desires

 
moderate
 
remember

alarming
 

unaccountable

 
cockfighting
 

prettier

 
ducklings
 

census

 

waking

 

shifting

 

bottom

 

waters


cunning

 

instinct

 

floating

 

points

 

disappeared

 

disposed

 

parent

 
surface
 

invisible

 

melted