Vietnam or Thailand ? Vote for the TOP Country of the Week !
Updated: June 23, 2025
A flock of lapwings were on the clods in an adjacent field, near enough to be seen, but far beyond gunshot. There might perhaps have been fifty birds, all facing one way and all perfectly motionless. They were, in fact, watching us intently, although not apparently looking towards us: they act so much in concert as to seem drilled.
The door of the school-room was open, and he who had spoken was standing with arms outspread to prevent the children from rushing out too hastily on the slippery ice. "Not so quick, children," he cried. "You can't fly over the snow like lapwings." A boy of about ten repeated these words to the smaller children.
A faint aromatic odour made the girl aware of broom and whinn and heath. As they sauntered on along the edge of Isla Water the lapwings rose into flight ahead. Once or twice the feathery whirr of brown grouse startled her. And once, on the edge of cultivated land, a partridge burst from the heather at her very feet a "Frenchman" with his red legs and gay feathers brilliant in the sun.
I was thankful that no one asked me for old Tom, and, shoving out from among the other boats, I quickly ran on to the Hard. When I landed the trial came. A waterman had gained an inkling of what had occurred from one of the crew of the Lapwings boat, and I was soon surrounded by people asking questions of how it happened. "I can't tell you more," I answered, at length breaking from them.
It'll be moonlight, and I'll soon punt you across." That pie, in spite of the rough surroundings, was delicious; and Dick forgot to pity the poor rabbits, and he did not refuse to take his dozen lapwings home for a welcome addition to the next day's dinner. "You see, Tom," he whispered, "I think I was a little too particular. Good-night, Dave, and thank you!" he shouted.
The hour fixed on was just before night, when they would all be carousing. Well! we let them out. Ah! how horrible it was to see them withdrawn from the shelter of the secret cavern. I sprang to recall them my feelings were so dreadful. But they disappeared like lapwings.
Beyond came marshy ground through which they had to pick their way carefully, over stepping-stones this being no other than what is now the Regent's Park, not yet in any degree drained by the New River, but all quaking ground, overgrown with rough grass and marsh-plants, through which Stephen and Ambrose bounded by the help of stout poles with feet and eyes well used to bogs, and knowing where to look for a safe footing, while many a flat-capped London lad floundered about and sank over his yellow ankles or left his shoes behind him, while lapwings shrieked pee- wheet, and almost flapped him with their broad wings, and moorhens dived in the dark pools, and wild ducks rose in long families.
Zbyszko followed her example; and for a long time they remained quiet, seeing nothing in front of them, on account of the fog; hearing nothing but the mournful puling of lapwings. Finally the wind blew, rustled the osiers and the yellow leaves of the willows, and disclosed the waters of the lake which were slightly ruffled by the wind. "Do you see anything?" whispered Zbyszko. "No. Keep quiet!"
The parched tops of the palms, where turtle doves, lapwings and sparrow- hawks were wont to perch, were crowded with the vagabond boys of the town, who whiled away the time by pulling the withered and diseased dates from the great clumps and flinging them down on the bystanders below, till the guard took aim at them with their arrows and stopped the game.
The sharp swish of the wings of lapwings, as they dived towards her, filling the moors with their hard rasping double note, and also battling for possession of a mate, stirred her frightened blood; and at every step some new terror thrilled her, and kept her continually in a state of fear.
Word Of The Day
Others Looking