Ifn tbc Wioo^s wttb tbe Bow 



from the " lonesome-sounding reeds " 

 (£p7]{j.atot<; %aXa[ioi<;) of the unknown Greek 

 poet. Then a long railway-train, with 

 great billows of black smoke above it, hove 

 in sight, coming around a mountain's knee 

 to rush howling across the river into the 

 village beyond a wooded ridge. 



Not yet quite ended, however, was my 

 archer's outing; its spirit flared up brightly 

 once again before guttering and winking 

 out. Where the road crossed a brook, I 

 stood for a few minutes leaning on the 

 wooden rail of the bridge, idly watching 

 some minnows at play in the clear swirls 

 below. Always nature offers temptations ; 

 a new charm, never exactly felt before, 

 comes with every fresh combination. A 

 little aquatic bird — you may certainly 

 know the difference between water species 

 and land species by their motions — flew 

 under the bridge and passed on, just above 

 the brook's current. A moment later 

 another followed, and both neatly curved 

 their line of movement to coincide with the 

 stream, soon passing out of sight behind 

 some bushes. It was compulsion ; I could 

 236 



