ver Solomon's back, waiting.

"I don't want to ride," he said to himself. "Tom can have the donkey,
and I'll walk."

"Why didn't you go on?" cried Tom, as he came up with a very red face.

"Don't want to be alone," replied Dick lazily, as he gazed away over the
wide-stretching fen-land with the moist air quivering in the glorious
sunshine. "I say, Tom, what a shame it seems!"

"What seems a shame?"

"Corn-fields and pastures and orchards are all very well, but the old
fen does look so lovely now!"

"Yes, it does," said Tom; "and father's horribly sorry he joined in the
draining scheme. He says it's going to cost heaps of money, and then be
no good. But come along."

"Where?" said Dick.

"I don't know. Where we're going."

"We're not going anywhere, are we?"

"Well, you are a fellow! Come galloping off here into the fen, and then
say you don't know where we're going!"

"I did it to get away from that Thorpeley. What shall we do?"

"Pst! Look there! What's that?"

"Snake!"

"No; it's an adder. Look!"

"'Tisn't," said Dick; "it's a snake. Adders aren't so long as that.
No, no; don't throw at it. Let's see what it's going to do."

The reptile was crossing the track from a tuft of alders, and seemed to
be about three feet long and unusually thick, while, as it reached the
dense heath and rushes, interspersed with grey coral moss on that side,
it disappeared for a few moments, and they thought it had gone; but
directly after it reappeared, gliding over a rounded tuft of bog-moss,
and continued its way.

"Why, it's going to that pool!" cried Dick.

"To drink," said Tom. "No wonder. Oh, I am hot and thirsty! Here, I
could knock him over with a stone easily."

"Let him alone," said Dick, who had become interested in the snake's
movements. "How would you like to be knocked over with a stone?"

"I'm not a snake," said Tom, grinning.

"Look!" cried Dick, as the reptile reached the edge of one of the many
deep fen pools, whose amber-coloured water was so clear that the
vegetation at the bottom could be seen plainly, and, lit up by the
sunshine, seemed to be of a deep-golden hue across which every now and
then some armoured beetle or tiny fish darted.

To the surprise of both, instead of the snake beginning to drink, it
went right into the water, and, swimming easily and well, somewhat after
the fashion of an eel, sent the water rippling and gleaming toward the
sides.

"Look!" cried Tom.