“magic food,” as Fritz called it, although he did not betray my secret arts to his brothers.
Early on the third morning I aroused Fritz, and directed him to ascend the rope ladder, and arrange a cord on the sliding door of the dove-cot, by which it could be opened or closed from below. Also he poured fresh anise-seed oil all about the entrance, after which we returned, and awoke the rest of the family, telling them that if they liked to make haste, they might see me let the pigeons fly.
Everybody came to the dove-cot, understanding that some ceremony was to attend the event, and I waved a wand with mock solemnity, while I muttered a seeming incantation, and then gave Fritz a sign to draw up the sliding panel.
Presently out popped the pretty heads of the captives, the soft eyes glanced about in all directions; they withdrew, they ventured forth again, they came timidly out on “the verandah,” as little Franz expressed it; then, as though suddenly startled, the whole party took wing, with the shrill whizzing sound peculiar to the flight of pigeons, and circling above us, they rose higher, higher, finally darting quite out of sight.
While we were yet gazing after them, they reappeared, and settled quietly on the dove-cot; but as we congratulated ourselves on a return which showed they accepted this as a home, up sprang the three blue pigeons, the noble foreigners, for whom chiefly I had planned the house, and rising in circles high in air, winged their rapid way direct towards Falconhurst.
Their departure had such an air of determination and resolve about it, that I feared them lost to us for ever.
Endeavouring to console ourselves by petting our four remaining birds, we could not forget this disappointment, and all day long the dove-cot remained the centre of attraction.
Nothing, however, was seen of the fugitives until about the middle of next day; when most of us were hard at work inside the cavern, Jack sprang in full of excitement, exclaiming,—
