Boys -- Juvenile fiction; England -- Juvenile fiction
When the jay and the perch had been talked about enough, they made some
tea, and sat down to wait till it was moonlight. Bevis got out his
journal and recorded these spoils, while the little bats flew to and fro
inside the stockade, and even under the open shed and over the table
just above their heads, having little more fear than flies.
Later on, having landed on the mainland, as they were going through the
stubble to meet Loo, they saw something move, and keeping quite still by
the hedge, it came towards them, when they knew it was a fox. He came
down the furrow between the lands, and several times went nosing round
the shocks of wheat, for he looks on a plump mouse as others do on a
kidney for breakfast. He did not seem to scent them, for when they
stepped out he was startled and raced away full speed. At the whistle
Loo brought the flag-basket, heavy with the tinned tongues and potted
meats they had ordered. She was frequently sent into the town on
errands from the house, so that there was no difficulty at the shop.
Bevis inquired how all were at home; all were well, and then wished her
good-night after exacting another promise of secrecy. Loo watched them
out of sight.
That evening they had a splendid supper on New Formosa, and sat up
playing cards.
“How ought we to know that your governor and the Jolly Old Moke are all
right,” said Mark, “as we’re on an island seven thousand miles away? Of
course we do know, but how _ought_ we to find out? There was no
telegraph when we lived.”
“Well, it’s awkward,” said Bevis--“it’s very awkward; perhaps we had a
magic ring and looked through it and saw what the people were doing, or,
I know! there’s the little looking-glass in the cave, don’t you
remember?”
“We brought it and forgot to hang it up.”
“Yes; we saw them in a magic mirror, don’t you see?”
“Of course--like a picture. First it comes as a mist in the mirror, as
if you had breathed on it; then you see the people moving about, and
very likely somebody going to be married that you want, and then you cry
out, and the mist comes again.”
“That’s right: I’ll put it down in the journal. ‘Made magic and saw all
the blokes at home.’”
They fastened Pan up as before at the door-post before going to bed, and
gave him several slices of rolled tongue. They slept the instant they
put their heads on the hard doubled-up great-coats which formed their
pillows.
Volume Three, Chapter IX.
NEW FORMOSA--THE SOMETHING COMES AGAIN.
About the middle of the night Pan moved, sat up, gave a low growl, then
rushed outside to the full length of his cord, and set up a barking.
“Pan! Pan!” said Bevis, awakened.
“What is it?” said Mark.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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