and she filled slowly, and sank to the level of the water, her mast
standing erect out of the flood, and her whole fabric swaying a little
as the water moved her up and down.

After that we fired at the mast till we had knocked it away, and then
we placed our toys in the sheltered fireplace of the ruin and came
away, happy to the bone, talking nineteen to the dozen.



CHAPTER VI

THE OWL'S CRY


For the next month we passed all our afternoons with Marah. In the
mornings the Rector gave us our lessons at Strete; then we walked home
to dinner; then we played with our gun and cutter, or at the sailing
of our home-made boats, till about six, when we went home for
tea. After tea we prepared our lessons for the next day and went
upstairs to bed, where we talked of smugglers and pirates till we fell
asleep. Marah soon taught us how to sail the cutter; and, what was
more, he taught us how to rig her. For an hour of each fine afternoon
he would give us a lesson in the quarry office, showing us how to rig
model boats, which we made out of old boxes and packing-cases. In the
sunny evenings of April we used to sail our fleets, ship against ship,
upon the great freshwater lake into which the trout-brook passes on
its way to the sea. Sometimes we would have a fleet of ships of the
line anchored close to the shore, and then we would fire at them with
the gun and with one of Marah's pistols till we had shattered them to