The following day they devised no less a scheme than to survey the
shores of Wood Lake, and place marks wherever the surrounding marsh was
practicable and might be crossed either to reach the water or leave it.
Fritz in the cajack, and the boys on shore, carefully examined the
ground together; and when they found firm footing to the water's edge,
the spot was indicated by planting a tall bamboo, bearing on high a
bundle of reeds and branches.
They succeeded in capturing three young black swans, after
considerable resistance from the old ones. They were afterwards
brought to Rockburg, and detained as ornaments to Safety Bay.
Presently a beautiful heron thrust his long neck from among the reeds,
to ascertain what all the noise on the lake was about.
Before he could satisfy his curiosity, Fritz unhooded his eagle, and
though vainly he flapped and struggled, his legs and wings were gently
but firmly bound, and he had to own himself vanquished, and submit to
the inspection of his delighted captors.
It was their turn to be alarmed next, for a large powerful animal came
puffing with a curious whistling sound through the dense thicket of
reeds, passing close by and sorely discomposing them by its sudden
appearance. It was out of sight immediately, before they could summon
the dogs, and from their description it must have been a tapir, the
colour dark brown, and in form resembling a young rhinoceros, but with
no horn on the nose, and the upper lip prolonged into a trunk something
like that of an elephant on a smaller scale.
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