t in a gate.
Have another?"

Jem took up a large raspberry-like fruit that he had picked some time
before, and held it out to the bird, which stopped short, and held its
head down comically, looking first at Jem, and then at the berry. With
a rapid twist it turned its head on the other side, and performed the
same operation with the left eye.

"Well, he is a rum un!" cried Jem, laughing. "Look! Mas' Don, look!"

Don was watching the eccentric-looking little creature, which ran
forward rapidly, and then paused.

"Why, 'tarn't a wild bird at all!" cried Jem. "It's one of the `my
pakeha' chap's cocks an' hens. Well, I ham blessed!"

For rapid almost as thought, and before Jem could recover from his
surprise, the bird had darted forward, seized the fruit, and was off a
dozen yards before he had darted out his hand after it.

"Too late, Jem."

"Yes, Mas' Don, too late that time; but I mean to ketch that chap, just
to show him he arn't so clever as he thinks. You sit still, and go on
eating, and don't take no notice, and look out--look out."

"Oh!" ejaculated Don. For at that moment one of the birds had come up
behind him, and almost before he had heard Jem's warning cry, he was
made aware of the bird's presence by a sharp dig of its beak in the hand
holding a portion of his dinner, which was carried rapidly away.

"Magpies is nothing to 'em," cried Jem. "But wait a bit, my fine
fellows, and you shall see what you shall see. Pass that there basket,
Mas' Don. Ah! That's a good bait for my gentleman. Look at 'em. I
can see three peeping out of the bushes. They're a-watching to see what
I'm going to do."

"Three! I can see four, Jem."

"More for me to ketch, Mas' Don. Wonder whether they're good to eat? I
say, do you think they can understand English?"

Don laughed, and went on with his dinner, as Jem began to play fox, by
putting a tempting-looking berry in his hand, stretching it out to the
full extent of his arm, and then lying back among the ferns.

"Now then, don't take no notice, Mas' Don. Let you an' me keep on
feeding, and that'll 'tract 'em out."

Don was already quietly "feeding," and he rested his back against a
piece of stone, watching intently all the while.

Two of the birds began to approach directly, while the others looked on
as if deeply interested.

The approach of the advance force was particularly curious, for they
came on picking here and picking there, as if they had n