Boys like sleep in the morning, but the desire to cuddle up for a few
minutes more and to go back to dreamland is not there on the first
morning at a new home or at a fresh school.
On that particular morning I did not feel in the least sleepy, only
uncomfortably nervous; and, hearing voices through the wall, I jumped up
and dressed quickly, to find on going down that Mr Solomon was in the
kitchen putting on his thick boots.
"Just coming to call you," he said, nodding. "Harpus five. Hah! change
coming," he cried, stamping his feet in his boots; "rain--rain. Come
along."
He unbolted the door and I followed him out, drawing a breath of the
sweetly fragrant air as we stepped at once into the bright sunshine,
where the flowers were blooming and the trees were putting forth their
strength.
But I had no opportunity for looking about the garden, for Mr Solomon
led the way at once to the stoke-holes down behind the glass-houses,
rattled open the doors, and gave a stoke here with a great iron rod, and
a poke there where the fires were caked together; while, without waiting
to be asked, I seized upon the shovel I saw handy and threw on some
coke.
"Far back as you can, my lad," said Mr Solomon. "Seems a rum time of
year to be having fires; but we're obliged to keep up a little,
specially on cloudy days."
This done, he led the way into one of the sunken pits where the melons
were growing, and after reaching in among them and snipping off a runner
or two he routed out a slug and killed it.
Then turning to me: "First thing in gardening, Grant, is to look out for your enemies.
You'll never beat them; all you can do is to keep 'em down. Now look
here," he said, picking off a melon leaf and holding it before me,
"What's the matter with that?"
"I don't see much the matter," I said, "only that the leaf looks specked
a little with yellow, as if it was unhealthy."
"Turn it over," he said.
I did, and looked at it well.
"There are a few red specks on it--very small ones," I said.
"Good eyes," he said approvingly. "That's what's the matter, my lad.
You've seen the greatest enemy we have under glass. Those red specks,
so small that you can hardly see them, cover the lower parts of the
leaves with tiny cobwebs and choke the growth while they suck all the
goodness out, and make the yellow specks on the top by sucking all the
sap from the leaves."
"What, those tiny specks!"
"Yes, those little specks would spoil all our melon plants if we did not
destroy them--melons, cucumbers, vines, peaches, and nectarines--
anything almost under glass. But there's your gun and ammunition; load
up and shoot 'em. Never give them any rest."