Chapter FIFTY NINE: Capturing the Storks

Our adventurers witnessed the uprising of the birds with looks that betokened disappointment and displeasure; and Fritz was in danger of getting severely castigated. He merited chastisement; and would have received it on the instant--for Caspar already stood over him with an upraised rod--when an exclamation from Karl caused the young hunter to hold his hand, and saved Fritz from the "hiding" with which he was being threatened.

It was not for this that Karl had called out. The exclamation that escaped him was of a different import--so peculiarly intoned as at once to draw Caspar's attention from the culprit, and fix it on his brother.

Karl was standing with eyes upraised and gazing fixedly upon the retreating stork--that one with whose tail Fritz had taken such an unwarrantable liberty.

It was not the ragged Marabout feathers, hanging half plucked from the posterior of the stork, upon which Karl was gazing; but its long legs, that, as the bird rose in its hurried flight, hung, slantingly downward, extending far beyond the tip of its tail. Not exactly these either was it that had called forth that strange cry; but something attached to them--or one of them at least--which, as it came under the shining rays of the sun, gleamed in the eyes of Karl with a metallic lustre.

It had a yellowish sheen--like gold or burnished brass--but the scintillation of the sun's rays, as they glanced from its surface, hindered the spectators from making out its shape, or being able to say exactly what it was.

It was only Caspar and Ossaroo who were thus perplexed. Karl knew that glittering meteor, that for a moment had flashed before his eyes like a beam of hope--now slowly but surely departing from him, and plunging him back into the old misery.

"Oh! brother!" he exclaimed, as the stork flew upward, "what a misfortune has happened!"

"Misfortune! what mean you, Karl?"

"Ah! you know not how near we were to a chance of being delivered. Alas! alas! it is going to escape us!"

"The birds have escaped us, you mean?" inquired Caspar. "What of that? I don't believe they could have carried up the rope anyhow; and what good would it be to catch them? They're not eatable; and we don't want their feathers valuable as they may be."

"No, no!" hurriedly rejoined Karl; "it is not that--not that."

"What then, brother?" inquired Caspar, somewhat astonished at the incoherent speeches of the plant-hunter. "What are you thinking of?"

"Look yonder!" said Karl, now for the first time pointing up to the soaring storks. "You see something that shines?"

"Ha! on the leg of one of the birds? Yes; I do see something--like a piece of yellow metal--what can it be?"

"I know what it is!" rejoined Karl, in a regretful tone; "right well do I know. Ah! if we could only have caught that bird, there would have been a hope for us. It's no use grieving after it now. It's gone-- alas! it's gone; and you, Fritz, have this day done a thing that will cause us all regret--perhaps for the rest of our lives."

"I don't comprehend you, brother!" said Caspar; "but if it's the escape of the storks that's to be so much regretted, perhaps it will never take place. They don't appear to be in such a hurry to leave us-- notwithstanding the inhospitable reception Fritz has given them. See! they are circling about, as if they intended to come down again. And see also Ossaroo--he's holding out a lure for them. I warrant the old shikaree will succeed in coaxing them back. He knows their habits perfectly."

"Merciful Father!" exclaimed Karl, as he looked first at the flying storks and then at Ossaroo; "be it permitted that he succeed! You, Caspar, lay hold upon Fritz, and give Ossaroo every chance! For your life don't let the dog get away from you; for your life--for the lives of all of us!"

Caspar, though still under surprise at the excited bearing of his brother, did not allow that to hinder him from obeying his command, and rushing upon Fritz, he caught hold of the dog. Then placing the hound between his legs, he held him with both hands and knees as tightly as if Fritz had been screwed in a vice.

The eyes of all--the dog included--were now turned upon Ossaroo. Caspar contemplated his movements with an undefined interest; while Karl watched them with feelings of the keenest anxiety.

The cunning shikaree had not come to the spot unprepared. Having anticipated some difficulty in getting hold of the storks, he had providentially provided a lure, which, in the event of their proving shy, might attract them within reach of his _ringall_. This lure was a large fish--which he had taken out of the larder before leaving the hut, and which he was now holding out--as conspicuously as possible, to attract their attention. He had gone some distance apart from the others, and especially from Fritz, whom he had scolded away from his side; and, having stationed himself on a slight eminence near the edge of the lake, he was using all his wiles to coax back the birds that had been so unwittingly compelled to take wing.

It was evident to Ossaroo--as well as to the others--that the flight of the storks had been against their will; and that they had reluctantly ascended into the air. They were no doubt wearied, and wanted rest.

Whether this desire would have brought them to the earth again, Ossaroo did not stay to determine. As soon as by their actions he became convinced that they saw the fish held out in his hand, he flung the tempting morsel to some distance from him, and then stood awaiting the result.

It proved a success--and almost instantaneously.

There was nothing in the appearance or attitude of Ossaroo to excite the suspicion of the adjutants. His dark skin and Hindoo costume were both well-known to them; and though now observed in an odd, out-of-the-way corner of the world, that was no reason for regarding him as an enemy.

Fritz was alone the object of their fear, but Fritz was a good way off, and there appeared no longer any reason for dreading him.

Reasoning thus--and perhaps with empty stomachs to guide them to a conclusion--the sight of the fish--lying unguarded upon the grass--put an end to their fears; and, without further hesitation, both dropped down beside it.

Both at the same instant clutched at the coveted prize--each endeavouring to be the first in securing it.

As one of the birds had got hold of the fish by the head and the other by its tail, a struggle now arose as to which should be the first to swallow its body. Each soon passed a portion of it down its capacious throat, until its mandibles met in the middle, and cracked against each other.

As neither would yield to the other, so neither would consent to disgorge, and let go; and for some seconds this curious contention was kept up.

How long it might have continued was not left to the determination of the parties themselves; but to Ossaroo, who, while they were thus occupied, rushed upon the spot; and, flinging wide his arms, enfolded both the birds in an embrace, from which they vainly struggled to get free.

With the assistance of Karl and Caspar--who had in the meantime tied Fritz to a tree--the huge creatures were soon overpowered, and pinioned beyond the possibility of escaping.

CHAPTER SIXTY.

A LABELLED LEG.

"It is! it is!" cried Karl, stooping suddenly down, and grasping the shank of one of the birds.

"What?" inquired Caspar.

"Look, brother! See what is there, round the stork's leg! Do you not remember having seen that bit of jewellery before?"

"A brass ring! Oh yes!" replied Caspar; "now I do remember. In the Botanic Gardens there was an adjutant with a ring round its ankle; a brass ring, too--just like this one. How very odd!"

"Like!" echoed Karl. "Not only like, but the very _same_! Stoop down, and examine it more closely. You see those letters?"

"_R.B.G., Calcutta_," slowly pronounced Caspar, as he read the inscription graven upon the ring. "`_R.B.G_.' What do these initials stand for, I wonder?"

"It is not difficult to tell that," knowingly answered Karl. "_Royal Botanical Garden_! What else could it be?"

"Nothing else. For certain, these two birds must be the same we used to see there, and with which we so often amused ourselves!"

"The same," asserted Karl. "No doubt of it."

"And Fritz must have recognised them too--when he made that unprovoked attack upon them! You remember how he used to quarrel with them?"

"I do. He must not be permitted to assail them any more. I have a use for them."

"A use?"

"Ah, a most important one; so important that these birds, ugly and unamiable as they are, must be cared for, as if they were the prettiest and most prized of pets. We must provide them with food and water; we must tend them by day, and watch over them by night--as though they were some sacred fire, which it was our duty to keep constantly burning."

"All that, indeed!"

"Verily, brother! The possession of these storks is not only important--it is essential to our safety. If they should die in our hands, or escape out of them--even if one of them should die or get away--we are lost. Our last hope lies in them. I am sure it is our last."

"But what hope have you found in them?" interrogated Caspar--puzzled to make out the meaning of his brother's words, and not without wonder at their apparent wildness.

"Hope? Every hope. Ay, something more than hope: for in this singular incident I cannot fail to recognise the finger of a merciful God. Surely He hath at length taken compassion upon us! Surely it is He who has sent these birds! They are messengers from Heaven!"

Caspar remained silent, gazing earnestly in the eyes of his brother, that were now sparkling with mingled gratitude and joy. But although Caspar could perceive this expression, he was utterly unable to interpret it.

Ossaroo was alike puzzled by the strange looks and speeches of the Sahib Karl; but the Hindoo gave less heed to them--his attention being almost wholly taken up by the adjutants, which he fondled in turns--talking to them and embracing them, as if they had been his brothers!

As soon as the cord had been looped round their ankles, and there was no longer any danger of their getting away, Ossaroo cut up the fish into slices convenient for their gullets; and proceeded to feed them with as much fondness as he could have shown to a brace of human beings, who had arrived from a long journey in a state of starvation.

The storks exhibited no signs of shyness--not the slightest. It was not in their nature to do so. They gobbled up the morsels flung before them, with as much avidity and unconcern, as if they were being fed by the side of the great tank in the Garden at Calcutta.

The sight of Fritz alone had a disturbing influence upon them; but, by the command of Karl, the dog was kept out of view, until they had finished the meal with which Ossaroo had provided them.

Caspar, still in a cloud, once more interrogated the plant-hunter as to his purpose.

"Ho, brother!" answered Karl, "you are not wont to be so dull of comprehension. Can you not guess why I am so joyed by the presence of these birds?"

"Indeed I cannot--unless--"

"Unless what?"

"You expect them to carry a rope up the cliff."

"Carry a rope up the cliff! Nothing of the sort. Yes; perhaps it is something of the sort. But since you have made such a poor guess, I shall keep you in suspense a little longer."

"O, brother!--"

"Nay, I shall not tell you. It is news worth guessing at; and you and Ossaroo must make it out between you."

The two hunters, thus challenged, were about entering upon a series of conjectures, when they were interrupted by Karl.

"Come!" said he, "there is no time now. You can exercise your ingenuity after we have got home to the hut. We must make sure of the storks, before anything else be attended to. This cord is too slight. They may file it in two with their bills, and get free. The very strongest rope we have got will not be more than sufficient. Come, Ossaroo, you take one. Lift it up in your arms. I shall carry the other myself; while you, Caspar, see to Fritz. Lead the dog in a leash. From this time forward he must be kept tied up--lest any misfortune should happen to spoil the best plan that has yet offered for our deliverance."

So saying, Karl flung his arms around one of the adjutants. Ossaroo at the same instant embraced the other; and, despite the roaring that proceeded from their throats, and the clattering made by their mandibles, the huge birds were borne home to the hut.

On arriving there, they were carried inside, and fastened with strong ropes--carefully attached to their legs, and tied to the heavy beams forming the rafters of the roof. The door was to be kept shut upon them at all times when the eyes of the captors were not watching them: for Karl, knowing the importance of having such guests, was determined to make sure of his "game."

CHAPTER SIXTY ONE.

MAIL-CARRIERS ON WINGS.

It was only after they had gone back for their baskets of beans, and once more returned to the hut, that Caspar and Ossaroo found time to indulge in their conjectures. Then both of them set to work in earnest--seated upon the great stones outside the door, where often before they had conjured up schemes for their deliverance. Neither communicated his thoughts to the other; each silently followed the thread of his own reflections--as if there was a rivalry between them, as to who should be the first to proclaim the design already conceived by Karl.

Karl was standing close by, apparently as reflective as either of his companions. But his thoughts were only occupied in bringing to perfection the plan, which to them was still undiscovered.

The storks had been brought out of the hut, and tied to a heavy log that lay near. This had been done, partly to accustom them to the sight of the place, and partly that they might be once more fed--the single fish they had swallowed between them not being deemed sufficient to satisfy their hunger.

Caspar's eyes wandered to that one that had the ring upon its leg; and then to the ring itself--_R.B.G., Calcutta_.

The inscription at length proved suggestive to Caspar, as the ring itself, on first seeing it, had to his brother. On that bit of brass there was information. It had been conveyed all the way from Calcutta by the bird that bore the shining circlet upon its shank. By the same means why might not information be carried back? Why--

"I have it! I have it!" shouted Caspar, without waiting to pursue the thread of conjecture that had occurred to him. "Yes, dear Karl, I know your scheme--I know it; and by Jupiter Olympus, it's a capital one!"

"So you have guessed it at last," rejoined Karl, rather sarcastically. "Well, it is high time, I think! The sight of that brass ring, with its engraved letters, should have led you to it long ago. But come! let us hear what you have got to say, and judge whether you have guessed correctly."

"Oh, certainly!" assented Caspar, taking up the tone of jocular badinage in which his brother had been addressing him. "You intend making a change in the character--or rather the calling--of these lately arrived guests of ours." Caspar pointed to the storks. "That is your intention, is it not?"

"Well?"

"They are now soldiers--_officers_, as their title imports--adjutants!"

"Well?"

"They will have no reason to thank you for your kind intentions. The appointment you are about to bestow on them can scarce be called a promotion. I don't know how it may be with birds, but I do know that there are not many men ambitious of exchanging from the military to the civil service."

"What appointment, Caspar?"

"If I'm not mistaken, you mean to make _mail-carriers_ of them--_postmen_, if you prefer the phrase."

"Ha! ha! ha!" laughed Karl, in a tone expressive of gratification at the clever manner in which Caspar had declared himself. "Right, brother! you've guessed my scheme to the very _letter_. That is exactly what I intend doing."

"By de wheeles ob Juggannaut coachee," cried the shikaree, who had been listening, and understood the figurative dialogue; "dat be da goodee plan. Dese stork go back Calcutt--surely dey go back. Dey carry letter to Feringhee Sahibs--Sahibs dey know we here in prison--dey come d'liva we vey dey affer get de letter--ha! ha! ha!" Then _delivering_ himself of a series of shrill ejaculations, the Hindoo sprang up from the stone upon which he had been sitting, and danced around the hut, as if he had suddenly taken leave of his senses!

However imperfectly spoken, the words of Ossaroo had disclosed the whole plan, as conceived by the plant-hunter himself.

It had vaguely defined itself in Karl's mind, on first seeing the storks above him in the air; but when the lustre of metal flashed before his eyes, and he perceived that yellow band encircling the shank of the bird, the scheme became more definite and plausible.

When at length the storks were taken captive, and Karl deciphered the inscription--by which they were identified as old acquaintances of the R.B.G.--he no longer doubted that Providence was in the plot; and that these winged messengers had been sent, as it were, from Heaven itself, to deliver him and his companions from that prison in which they had so long been pining.

CHAPTER SIXTY TWO.