y to a broad extent of marshy ground,
from which the water had retired in consequence of the drought, and
here, upon their crawling up to the screen of reeds, Leather drew aside
for the boy to peer through to see pretty close at hand a flock of over
a hundred grey stork-like birds marching about gravely, and darting
their bills down sharply here and there at some fish or frog in a pool.
Others were standing on one leg, with the other and the long neck
regularly folded up, and the bill tucked neatly away among the feathers.

All seemed grave, calm, and deliberate, every motion being made in the
most solemn fashion, one of them the root of whose beak itched
scratching it with a claw in a gracefully zigzag mode.

They were fine tall birds, fully four feet in height, and of a beautiful
grey; but after kneeling in a damp place for about a quarter of an hour
Nic grew weary, and turned to look at the convict, who smiled, nodded,
and held up a finger, as much as to say, "Be patient."

"Things never do what you want at the right time," thought Nic; but
hardly had he mentally spoken when one of the storks farther off uttered
a peculiar cry like the low note of a cracked clarionet, and in an
instant the long-legged birds from all quarters came trooping up, some
of them helping their movements by extending their wings a little, till
all were collected in a rough kind of circle, one remaining almost
motionless in the middle of the ring.

A few more of the quaint trumpeted-out notes were heard, and these were
uttered by one of the cranes nearest to Nic, who could see the
scissors-like beak open, the bright eye, and the gay scarlet ear-lobes
of the solemn-looking bird, which drew itself up, took a look round in a
stately way, and then seemed to Nic to have gone mad; for it suddenly
began to dance and caper about, bowing and shaking its head to its
companions again and again before leaping in the air and coming down
upon its feet, to go through a series of the wildest gambols imaginable.
It waltzed, advanced, retreated, set to partners, skipped here and
there with wonderful activity, and began again.

Its actions were contagious, for the next minute fully a hundred of the
long-legged bipeds were capering about the marsh in a frantic dance,
snapping their bills, and evidently enjoying this ebullition of
fantastic gambols.

Nic would have roared with laughter had he not been afraid to send the
birds away and so end their game; and