Martin, for his sins, inhabited a study looking into a small court some
ten feet across, the window of which was completely commanded by those
of the studies opposite in the Sick-room Row, these latter being at
a slightly higher elevation. East, and another boy of an equally
tormenting and ingenious turn of mind, now lived exactly opposite, and
had expended huge pains and time in the preparation of instruments of
annoyance for the behoof of Martin and his live colony. One morning
an old basket made its appearance, suspended by a short cord outside
Martin's window, in which were deposited an amateur nest containing four
young hungry jackdaws, the pride and glory of Martin's life, for the
time being, and which he was currently asserted to have hatched upon
his own person. Early in the morning and late at night he was to be
seen half out of window, administering to the varied wants of his callow
brood. After deep cogitation, East and his chum had spliced a knife on
to the end of a fishing-rod; and having watched Martin out, had, after
half an hour's severe sawing, cut the string by which the basket
was suspended, and tumbled it on to the pavement below, with hideous
remonstrance from the occupants. Poor Martin, returning from his short
absence, collected the fragments and replaced his brood (except one
whose neck had been broken in the descent) in their old location,
suspending them this time by string and wire twisted together, defiant
of any sharp instrument which his persecutors could command. But, like
the Russian engineers at Sebastopol, East and his chum had an answer for
every move of the adversary, and the next day had mounted a gun in the
shape of a pea-shooter upon the ledge of their window, trained so as to
bear exactly upon the spot which Martin had to occupy while tending his
nurslings. The moment he began to feed they began to shoot. In vain did
the enemy himself invest in a pea-shooter, and endeavour to answer the
fire while he fed the young birds with his other hand; his attention was
divided, and his shots flew wild, while every one of theirs told on his
face and hands, and drove him into howlings and imprecations. He
had been driven to ensconce the nest in a corner of his already
too-well-filled den.

His door was barricaded by a set of ingenious bolts of his own
invention, for the sieges were frequent by the neighbours when any
unusually ambrosial odour spread itself from the den to the neighbouring
stud