“I have read, in a book of travels,” said Samuel, “that while persons are asleep, these bats, or some other large kind, suck their blood.  Is that true, sir?”

“No,” said Mr. Harvey.  “Such tales were long believed, even by writers on natural history; and I have some where a picture of a monstrous bat sucking the blood from a man’s veins.  But all this is now known to be fabulous.  No kind of bat will attack an animal as large as itself, nor enter a house when there is an abundance of fruit and insects in the field.”

“Shall we let this bat go now?” said John.  Mr. Harvey said yes; and then John lifted it on a large sheet of paper, and threw it into the air.  In a moment it spread out its thin wings, and after flying about the room two or three times, passed out of the window.  Mr. Harvey told them, that although the bat was so feeble when on the ground, yet its strength of wing was greater than that of any bird.

[Illustration]

CHAPTER VIII.

The walk to the creek.

The next day there was a heavy thunder shower, in the morning, which compelled the boys to stay in the house; and in the afternoon the teacher of the academy paid Mr. Harvey a visit.  During the time that he staid, Thomas, with his brother and cousin, were told to remain in the house.  But the next day was cool and pleasant, and they started early on a ramble through the fields.  As they passed close to a farm house, Samuel saw a large dog chained to a tree, in the yard.  It looked very fierce at them as they passed, and then began to growl and bark.  Thomas told his cousin, that this dog had bitten several persons in the neighborhood, and that some of the school boys had tried to poison it; but that the farmer was careful always to keep it chained, so that no body might get a chance to catch it in the road.

About half a mile further onward was a fine stream of water.  It began in the hills, and ran winding along, deeper and broader, to a great distance.  Mr. Harvey owned several farms along this creek; and here Thomas and John often came, in summer evenings, to swim.  The water was clear and pure, so that hundreds of fish could be seen sporting around the shores.

When the boys reached this creek, they sat down under a shady tree, to watch the fishes, and listen to the songs of the birds, on the bushes that hung over the water.  In a short time, a number of eels came from under a large stone, one after the other, and after swimming about for a little while, buried themselves in the mud.  Samuel asked Thomas where so many came from.

“They live in the water,” replied his cousin.  “On a pleasant evening you can see many more swimming among the stones, and the roots of trees, by the edge of the creek.  But, do you know, that they sometimes come out of the water, and glide about the meadows.”

“No,” said Samuel; “do they?”