He let fall the drawbridge, and we saw no more of him until, on reaching Rockburg, he appeared leisurely returning from the swamp, where apparently he had gone to deposit his "moist secret," as Franz called it. We were all glad to take up our quarters once more in our large and convenient dwelling, and my first business was to provide for the great number of birds we now had on our hands, by establishing them in suitable localities, it being impossible to maintain them all in the poultry yard. Some were, therefore, taken to the islands; and the black swans, the heron, the graceful demoiselle cranes, and our latest acquisition, the splendid sultan cock, soon became perfectly at home in the swamp, greatly adding to the interest of the neighborhood of Safety Bay. The old bustards were the tamest of all our feathered pets, and never more so than at meal times. They were unfailing in their attendance when we dined or supped in the open air. Toward evening, as we sat in the veranda listening to Fritz's account of his trip round the Cape, an extraordinary hollow, roaring noise sounded from the swamp not unlike the angry bellowing of a bull. The dogs barked, and the family rose in excitement; but I remarked a look of quiet humor in Fritz's eye, as he stood leaning against one of the veranda pillars, watching Jack, who, in some confusion, started off toward the marsh. "Come back, you silly boy!" cried his mother; "the child has not so much as a pistol, and is rushing off alone to face he knows not what!" "Perhaps," said I, looking at Fritz, "this is not a case requiring the use of firearms. It may be only the booming of a bittern which we hear." "You need not be uneasy, mother," said Fritz; "Jack knows what he is about; only this charming serenade took him by surprise, and I fancy he will have to exhibit his treasures before they reach perfection. Yes, here he comes!" Lugging his "moist secret" along with him, Jack, flushed and breathless, came up to us, exclaiming: "They were to grow as big as rabbits before you saw them! Such a shame! I never thought they would kick up a row like that. Now for it!"--and he turned out the bag. "This is 'Grace,' and this is 'Beauty.'" Two immense frogs rolled clumsily on the ground, and recovering their feet, sat squat before us, swelling and puffing with a ludicrous air of insulted dignity, while peals of laughter greeted them on all sides. "Ladies and gentlemen, these are two very handsome young specimens of the famous African bullfrog," said Jack, pretending to be offended at the mingled disgust and amusement occasioned by their appearance; "they are but half-grown, and I hoped to maintain them in seclusion until they reached full size, when I would have introduced them with proper éclat. But since their talent for music has brought them precociously into public notice, I must beg for your kind and indulgent patronage, and--leave to take them back to the swamp!"