ping off the mud, that now
fell in flakes to the bottom of the tree.

It took him only a very short time to effect a breach into the
barricaded nest--one big enough to admit his hand with the fingers at
fall spread.

His arm was at once thrust in up to the elbow; and as his digits closed
fearlessly around the throat of the old hen hornbill, she was drawn
forth from her place of imprisonment.

For a time she was seen in Saloo's hands, convulsively writhing and
flopping her great wings, like a turkey gobbler with his head suddenly
cut off. There was some screaming, hissing, and croaking, but to all
these sounds Saloo quickly put an end, by taking a fresh grasp of the
throat of the great bird, choking the breath out of it until the wings
ceased fluttering; and then he flung its body down at the feet of the
spectators.

Saloo did not descend immediately, but once more thrust his hand into
the nest, hoping, no doubt, to find an egg or eggs in it. Instead of
these, the contents proved to be a bird--and only one--a chick recently
hatched, about the size of a squab-pigeon, and fat as a fed ortolan.
Unlike the progeny of the megapodes, hatched in the hot sand, the infant
hornbill was without the semblance of a feather upon its skin, which was
all over of a green, yellowish hue. There was not even so much as a
show of down upon it.

For a moment Saloo held it in his hand, hissing as it was in his own
tiny way. Then chucking it down after its murdered mother, where it
fell not only killed, but "squashed," he prepared to descend in a less
hasty manner. He now saw no particular need for their dining on
durions, at least on that particular day; and therefore discontinued his
task upon the bamboo ladder, which could be completed on the morrow, or
whenever the occasion called for it.

CHAPTER SIXTEEN.

AN ENEMY IN THE AIR.

Though the old hen hornbill, after her long and seemingly forced period
of incubation, might not prove such a tender morsel, they were
nevertheless rejoiced at this accession to their now exhausted larder,
and the pilot at once set about plucking her, while Murtagh kindled a
fresh fire.

While they were thus engaged, Henry, who had greatly admired the
ingenuity displayed by Saloo in the construction of his singular ladder,
bethought him of ascending it. He was led to this exploit partly out of
curiosity to try what such a climb would be like; but more from a desire
to examine the odd nest so d