El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1912-12-24
Obe Black Veteran
A Sborf Story

TT had stopped showing at last The
morning sun shone upon a glis-
= tening world of white, but, even
with the sun shining. the breath OF
the northeast wind was bitter.
The old -"crow'-people called
him, not knowing that though rock
is a kind of crow, a crow is not a
rook-who had been perched on the
top of a tall elm by the corner Of the
stackyard, opened his broad wings and
Tapped slowly. but strongly away.
He flew on till he saw line Of
black rocks moving slowly across the
sky. These were his fellow citizens
of the roOkery, Of which township he
himself was one Of the chief elders.
He knew where they were off to
the estuary. for the tide would be
falling about this time. He, too, as
well as his brothers and sisters, knew
just when the tide would fall.
few quick strokes of his wings
brought him up to his friends. There
was an exchange of carvings by way
OF greeting as he Joined them.
1t had begun to snow again, now,
SO hard that they appeared to be
flying through a white and drifting
mist The sun had gone in, and IL
was bitterly cold.
They found the estuary half brown
mud and half white snow. with tide
half down, and promptly spread
themselves along the line OF seaWeed
which marks high water mark. As
a rule this could, by turning it over,
be relied upon to provide at least
sandhoppers, but today either the
sandhoppers preferred the water, CT
a party of rascally jackdaws had
cleared the lot before the rocks ar
rived.
The old rock, however. very quickly
found this out and quietly lifting
over the bank erected to keep out en-
croaching waters. dropped into the
white expanses of marshy field be-
yond. he found himself all alone with
only the loud remarks of his fellows
one to the other coming to him
from the other side of the sea wall.
At least, he thought he was alone
at first till something in clump Of
rushes moved.
The old rock jumped and stood
stin for a moment and then Waddled
forward. The thing. however, in the
rushes did not move again until he
was almost on top of it when suddenly.
with a harsh, grunting squawk, out
bounced a grayish-black bird, nearly
frightening the old rock out Of mis-
wits.
The bird was coot-"bald coot."
the marsh people call them a big
cousin of the moorhen's. He tapped
heavily away to a large pool nearby.
and, being a good swimmer, had, Of
course, no hesitation in dropping into,
what he thought was water AS
matter of fact, though, the water had
turned into ice since the coOt left
it to prospect for food for the night
before. and the unfortunate bird
landed on his beak more heavily than
he liked. Indeed, he lay half stunned
for a minute or so.
And at once the old rock hoped up.
He saw the chance Of a meal, and
Ventured out upon the snow covered
rim OF the ice. Then his legs flew
apart, and he fell on his beak too,
and it took him a quarter Of an hours
real hard work, during which he cut
the most idiotic capers, to regain
dry land.
Then he looked around for the coot
1t was still showing hard and things
were anything but easy to see; but
the old rock had marvelously sharp |
eyes. and quickly spotted the Other
black bird under a tuft Of grass BY !
the pools edge.
OF course, he was wounded coot, |
overlooked by some gunner. The I
rock knew that well enough, because !
the coot had shown fear of him. The |
thing was how to make him a dead /
coot
The rock sided up and viewed the |
enemy. first with one eye, then with i
the other. And the coot promptly /
turned over on his back, with claws /
ana DcAk ready Tor the worst.
Then the old rock hoped in, de- /
i7ered quick peck, and hoped 1
)ut again. He continued to do this 4
IS quickly as he could.
Coots are however. not bad fight
ers themselves. This one gave as
many pecks as he took, and although /
lis beak was not the murderous weap-
IN which the rocks was, his claws, ]
we'll used, too, made up for any de- I
1ciency on the beak's part
At the end of half an hour, more /
han one Of the rocks fine black /
)lumes lay around on the snow, but
the coot was little, if any, nearer
)eing dead.
"Ca-a-aaw said the rock, and sat
Jack on his tail for the ninth time.
he coot hanging onto the feathers of
lis breast, and-they were as still as
ieath, looking up in terror at a bird /
which seemed about to alight right
N them.
The bird was a short cared owl,
which hunts by day and when usually !
unts in the vicinity Of the marshes.
When the rock at length got back
lis courage, he scrambled to his feet
md fled precipitately, every moment
expecting the new foe to drop and
lay him. But, as a matter of fact. |
lnless he had been wounded, I do
rot think he had much to fear. for !