ened to regain
his feet again in a moment, so that they contrived to hold on; and in a
few minutes they were drawn out safely upon the shore, without even
getting their feet wet.

"Well, Old Trumpeter," said Jonas, "you have done pretty well for you,
and you have got the mire washed off your legs, at any rate. But, Rollo,
what is that?"

He pointed back, as he said this, to a little tuft floating round and
round in a small eddy, made by a turn of the brook, just above where
they had crossed. He turned his horse towards it. "It is a bird's
nest," said he.

"So it is," said Rollo; "and I verily believe there is a little bird in
it."

Jonas jumped off of the horse, handed the bridle to Rollo, and took up a
long stick lying on the ground, and very gently and cautiously drew the
nest, in to the shore. He took it up with great care, and brought it to
Rollo.

There was a little bird in it, scarcely fledged. Jonas said he believed
it was a robin, and that it must have been washed off from its place on
some bush, by the freshet in the brook. The bottom of the nest was
soaked through by the water, as if it had been floating some time; and
the little bird kept opening its mouth wide. The poor little thing was
hungry, and heard Jonas and Rollo, and thought they were its mother,
come to give it something to eat.

"What shall we do with him?" said Rollo.

"He will die if we leave him here," said Jonas, "for he has lost his
mother now. I think we had better carry him home, if we can, and feed
him, till he is old enough to fly."

"He is hungry," said Rollo; "let us feed him now."

"We have not any thing to feed him with. Perhaps I can catch a fly, or a
grasshopper."

"O, that will not do," said Rollo; "you might as well kill him as kill
a grasshopper."

Jonas could not reply to this, and they concluded to carry nest and all
carefully to the mill, and show it to Rollo's father there. But how to
carry it was the difficulty. If either of them undertook to hold it in
one hand, he was afraid the bird might be jolted out; and neither of
them had but one hand to spare, for Rollo must have one hand to hold on
with, and Jonas one to drive. At last Jonas took off his cap, and placed
it bottom upwards on the saddle before him, and put the nest, with the
bird in it, in that, and then drove carefully along. The road grew much
smoother and better after they passed the brook; and, after going on a
short distance farther, they came in