l, that either of those great creatures would be strong enough to
carry the line aloft? They look as if they could lift even one of
ourselves to the top of the cliff."

Karl made no reply; though his silence was only caused by Caspar's
suggestion--which he was proceeding to ponder upon.

The young hunter continued: "If we could only catch one of them alive!
Do you suppose they are going to alight? They look as if they would.
What do _you_ say, Ossaroo? You know more of these birds than we do."

"Yees, youngee Sahib; ee speakee de true. Dey go for come down. You
savey dey make long fly. Dey both weary on de wing--no able fly furder.
'Sides, ee see, here am de lake--water--dey want drinkee--want eat too.
Dey sure come down."

Ossaroo's prediction was fulfilled, almost as soon as it was uttered.
The birds, first one and then the other, jerked in their spread wings;
and dropped down upon the shore of the lake--as already stated, not over
twenty paces from the spot where the three waders were occupied among
the leaves of the lilies.

The eyes of all three were now directed with a fixed gaze upon the
new-comers,--in whose behaviour they observed something irresistibly
ludicrous.

Almost on the instant of their feet touching _terra firma_, instead of
moving about over the ground in search of food, or striding down towards
the water to drink--as the spectators were expecting them to do--the two
long-legged bipeds acted in an entirely different manner. Neither of
them seemed to care either for food or drink. If they did, both these
appetites must have been secondary with them to the desire for rest; for
scarce ten seconds had elapsed after their alighting, when each drew in
its long neck, burying it between the shoulders as in a case, leaving
visible only the upper half of the head, with its huge scythe-shaped
beak--the mandibles resting against the prominence of the breast bone,
and pointing diagonally downwards.

Simultaneous with this movement, the spectators perceived another--
equally indicative of a desire on the part of the birds to betake
themselves to repose. This was the drawing up of one of their long
fleshless legs, until it was entirely concealed under the loose feathers
of the belly--a movement made by both so exactly at the same instant, as
to lead to the belief that they were actuated by like impulses, by some
spiritual union that existed between them!

In ten seconds more both birds appeared to