s
long as you left one egg. I hope it is so.

Martin carefully put one egg into each of his boxes and the third into
his mouth, the only other place of safety, and came down like a
lamplighter. All went well till he was within ten feet of the ground,
when, as the trunk enlarged, his hold got less and less firm, and at
last down he came with a run, tumbling on to his back on the turf,
spluttering and spitting out the remains of the great egg, which had
broken by the jar of his fall.

"Ugh, ugh--something to drink--ugh! it was addled," spluttered he, while
the wood rang again with the merry laughter of East and Tom.

Then they examined the prizes, gathered up their things, and went off to
the brook, where Martin swallowed huge draughts of water to get rid of
the taste; and they visited the sedge-bird's nest, and from thence
struck across the country in high glee, beating the hedges and brakes as
they went along; and Arthur at last, to his intense delight, was allowed
to climb a small hedgerow oak for a magpie's nest with Tom, who kept all
round him like a mother, and showed him where to hold and how to throw
his weight; and though he was in a great fright, didn't show it; and
was applauded by all for his lissomness.

They crossed a road soon afterwards, and there close to them lay a heap
of charming pebbles.

"Look here," shouted East, "here's luck! I've been longing for some good
honest pecking this half hour. Let's fill the bags, and have no more of
this foozling bird's-nesting."

No one objected, so each boy filled the fustian bag he carried full of
stones: they crossed into the next field, Tom and East taking one side
of the hedges, and the other two the other side. Noise enough they made
certainly, but it was too early in the season for the young birds, and
the old birds were too strong on the wing for our young marksmen, and
flew out of shot after the first discharge. But it was great fun,
rushing along the hedgerows, and discharging stone after stone at
blackbirds and chaffinches, though no result in the shape of slaughtered
birds was obtained: and Arthur soon entered into it, and rushed to head
back the birds, and shouted, and threw, and tumbled into ditches and
over and through hedges, as wild as the Madman himself.

Presently the party, in full cry after an old blackbird (who was
evidently used to the thing and enjoyed the fun, for he would wait till
they came close to him and then fly on for forty yards