In a few days they were all taken down to the dam, and soon found
their way into the water, to the great distress of their
foster-mother, who was obliged to stand upon the bank calling in
vain till the little ones chose to come ashore. A hencoop was soon
knocked together from an old box, and this was placed near the dam,
and ere long the hens became accustomed to the fancy of their
charges for the water, and would walk about picking up insects
while the little ones swam about on the pond. Twice a day the girls
went down to feed them with grain and bits of boiled pumpkin--for
the pumpkins soon began to come into bearing--and the ducklings and
cygnets, which last were at present but little larger than the
others, would swim rapidly toward them when they saw them, and
would feed greedily out of their hands.
It was not for some weeks later that the desire for young
flamingoes was gratified. The boys had been out for a ride, and
coming upon the river where it was wide, with flat sandy banks,
round which the timber grew, they determined to tie up their,
horses and enter the stream, to see if they could get some more
eggs. With some difficulty they made their way through the bushes,
and, getting into the water, waded along until a turn in the river
brought them in sight of the flat bank.
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