Page:Augusta Seaman--Jacqueline of the carrier pigeons.djvu/29

Rh had fallen across her shoulders, and knelt down to superintend the work.

Very carefully they removed the dark shawl and laid it aside, disclosing a box  roughly fashioned like a cage, containing  four pigeons. The frightened birds fluttered about wildly for a moment, then settled down  cooing softly. When they had become accustomed to the daylight, Jacqueline opened one side of the box, thrust in her arm, and  drew toward her a young pigeon of magnificent coloring, whose iridescent neck glittered  as if hung with jewels. The girl cuddled the bird gently under her chin, and with one  finger stroked his handsome head.

“Let us send ‘William of Orange,’ first,” she said. “He is the finest, strongest and wisest, and will lead the way. I am glad we named him after our great leader.”

“But the message!” Gysbert reminded her. “We must not forget that, or good Vrouw Voorhaas will never know whether