zy wings which rustled and thrilled as they darted
and turned in their wonderful flight, chasing their unfortunate winged
prey. Every now and then a beautiful swallow-tail butterfly, plentiful
once in these regions, flitted by, inviting pursuit where pursuit was
impossible; while from the waving beds of giant grass which rose from
the water and now began to show their empurpled heads, came the
chattering of the reed-birds, as if in answer to the chirping of the
crickets in the crisp dark heath.

"Look at the bulrushes, Tom!" said Dick lazily. And he nodded in the
direction of a patch of the tall, brown, poker-like flowers and leaves
of the reed-mace.

"Oh, yes, look at them!" said Tom sourly. "What a shame it is that we
weren't born with wings! Everything grows where you can't get at it.
If there's a good nest, it's surrounded by water."

"Like an island," assented Dick.

"The best butterflies are where you can't get them without you go in a
boat."

"You can't catch butterflies out of a boat," said Dick contemptuously.

"You could, if you poled it along fast enough. Here, you jump on now.
What a hot back old Solomon has got!"

"I daresay he thinks you've got horribly hot legs," said Dick, laughing.
"Here, come along quick!"

"What for?"

"Can't you see!" cried Dick, starting off in the direction of where the
men were at work; "there's something the matter."

Certainly something did seem to be wrong, for the men were hurrying
along the black embankment of the great drain in the direction of the
sea; and as the boys reached the spot where the digging had been going
on, the explanation was plain.

The last time they were there, the men were at work in the bottom of the
oozy dike, where a little water lay, soaked out of the sides; but now,
right away to the flood-gates, there was a glistening lane of water, the
open ditch resembling a long canal in which a barge could have been
sailed.

"There isn't anything the matter," said Tom. "They've let the water in
to try how it goes."

But when at last they reached the sea end, it was to find Mr Marston
very busy with his men closing the great gates to keep out the tide,
which had risen high and threatened to flood a good deal of low-lying
ground. For probably by carelessness the sluice-gate down by the sea
had been left open, and the tide had come up and drowned the works.

The two lads stood looking on for some time, until the gates were
closed, and then