112 ADVENTURES AMONG BIRDS 



him sitting in his cabin, bent down like a dead man, 

 with his clawlike fingers clasped together on his knees, 

 his brown face covered with a hundred wrinkles, 

 his hair white, and his eyes turned white too with 

 blindness, and asked him of the tree, he would say that 

 it fell before his time, a long time before, perhaps 

 in his grandfather's or great-grandfather's time, or 

 even before then. And this is how it fell — it is surely 

 one of the saddest chapters in the history of the world ! 

 It came to pass that an old and evil-tempered woman 

 died, and, going to the tree, in due time reached the 

 sky, and was happy to find herself at last in that bright 

 and beautiful place. She was very hungry after her 

 long journey and climb, and, making inquiry of those 

 she met, they told her very pleasantly that the readiest 

 way to procure food was to catch some fish in one of 

 the lakes close by. They also gave her a rod and line 

 and directed her to the nearest lake. Away she went, 

 pleased with herself and everything, her mouth water- 

 ing at the thought of those green-and-blue and red-and- 

 yellow little fishes which were easy to catch and de- 

 licious to eat. It was a small round lake of clear water, 

 about a mile in circumference, to which she had been 

 directed, and on approaching it she saw that a good 

 number of persons were there standing, rod in hand, 

 on the margin. One of the anglers, happening to turn 

 his head, caught sight of the old woman hurrying down 

 to them, and to have a little fun he cried out to those 

 near him : " Look ! here comes an old woman, just 

 arrived, to fish ; let's close up and say there is no 



