Page:The Swiss Family Robinson (Kingston).djvu/320

274 “He is there! He is come! he really is!”

“Who? Who is there? What do you mean?”

“The blue pigeon, to be sure! Hurrah! Hurrah!”

“Oh, nonsense!” said Ernest. “You want to play us a trick.”

“Why should it be ‘nonsense’?” cried I. “I fully believe we shall see them all soon!”

Out ran everybody to the dove-cot, and there, sure enough, stood the pretty fellow, but not alone, for he was billing and cooing to a mate, a stranger of his own breed, apparently inviting her to enter his dwelling; for he popped in and out at the door, bowing, sidling, and cooing, in a most irresistible manner, until the shy little lady yielded to his blandishments, and tripped daintily in. “Now, let's shut the door.”

“Pull the cord and close the panel!” shouted the boys, making a rush at the string.

“Stop!” cried I, “let the string alone! I won't have you frighten the little darlings. Besides, the others will be coming, would you shut the door in their faces?”

“Here they come! here they come!” exclaimed Fritz, whose keen eye marked the birds afar, and to our delight the second blue pigeon arrived, likewise with a mate, whom, after a pretty little flirtation scene of real and assumed modesty on her part, he succeeded in leading home.

The third and handsomest of the new pigeons was the last in making his appearance. Perhaps he had greater difficulty than the others in finding a mate as distinguished in rank and beauty as himself.

However, we fully expected them, and the boys talked of the arrival of “Mr. and Mrs. Nicobar” as a matter of course.

Late in the day Franz and his mother went out to provide for supper, but the child returned directly, exclaiming that we must hasten to the dove-cot to see something beautiful.

Accordingly a general rush was made out of the cave, and we