The Spokane press. [volume] (Spokane, Wash.) 1902-1939, 1909-08-07

| set him, and one fine day a con
viction struck him that he had
taken a narrow view of 1t and that
after all, there must be in the ma
ture of things some way to attract
ships from a distance.
Possessed with this thought, he
went up to Telegraph Point, alb.
stracted his mind from all external
| objects and fixed it on this idea
but came down as he went. He de-
scended by some steps he had cut
zigzag for Helens use, and as he
! put his foot on the fifth step
WHO'D - whir - whiz - came nine
ducks; cooling his head, they
whizzed SO close, and made right
for the lagoons.
Hunt" thought Hazel; II never
see you ducks fly in any other d.
rection but that"
This speculation ranked in him
all night, and he told Helen he
should reconnoiter at daybreak, but
should not take her, as there might
be snakes. He made the boat
| ready at daybreak, and certain
gannets, pintadoes, boobies and
| noddies, and divers with eyes in
their heads like fiery jewels-birds
whose greedy maws he had often
gratified-chose to fancy he must
be going fishing, and were on
, the alert, and rather troublesome
! However, he got adrift, and ran out
through North Gate, with a light
westerly breeze, followed by a
whole fleet of birds. These were
Joined in due course by another of
his satellites, young seal he
called Tommy, also fond of fishing
The feathered convoy soon tailed
off; but Tommy stuck to him for
about eight miles. He ran that dis
lance to have nearer look at a
small island which lay due north
of Telegraph Point. He satisfied
himself 1t was little more than a
very long, large reef, the neighbor.
hood of which ought to be avoided
by ships of burden, and, resolving
to set some beacon or other on II
ere long, he christened it. White
EWater island on account of the
surf; he came about and headed
for the east bluff.
10 Then Tommy gave him up in dis
fgust, perhaps thought his conduct
vacillating. Animals all despise
that.
He soon landed almost under the
volcano and moored his boat not
Tar from cliff peaked with guano
He got up to the lagoons and found
a great many ducks swimming
| about. He approached little parties
to examine their varieties. They
all swan out of his way;
Eeome OF: them even flew a few
Yards and then settled Not one
would let him come within 40
yards. This convinced Hazel the
ducks were not natives of the isl
aud, but strangers who were not
much afraid, because they had
never been molested on this parti
cular island, but still distrusted
man.
While he pondered thus there
was great noise OF wings and
about a dozen ducks flew over his
,ad on the rise and passed west.
ward, still rising till they got into
the high currents, and away upon
the wings of the wind for distant
lands.
The grand rush of their wings
and the off-hand way in which they
spurned, abandoned and disappear
ed from an island that held him
tight made Hazel feel very small.
His thoughts took the form of sa-
tire. Lords of the creation, are
We? We sink in water; in air we
tumble; on earth we stumble"
These pleasing reflections did
not prevent his taking their line
of flight, and barking a tree to
mark it. He was about to leave
the place, when he heard a splash
ing not far from him, and there
was a duck jumping about on the
water in strange way Hazel
thought snake had got hold of
her, and ran to her for assistance.
He took her out of the water and
soon found what was the matter;
her bill was open, and fish's tail
| was sticking out. Hazel inserted
his finger and dragged out a small
fish, which had erected the spines
on its back so opportunely as near
ly to kill its destroyer. The
duck recovered enough to quack
in feeble and dubious manner.
Hazel kept her for Helen, because
she was plain brown duck. With
some little reluctance he slightly
shortened one wing, and slowed
away his captive in the hold Of the
kboat.
He happened to have great