94 Wilderness Ways. 



in peace. He would set his great wings to the breeze 

 and sit like a kite in the wind, mounting steadily in 

 an immense spiral, up and up, without the shadow 

 of effort, till the eye grew dizzy in following. And I 

 loved to watch him, so strong, so free, so sure of him- 

 self round and round, up and ever up, without 

 hurry, without exertion; and every turn found the 

 heavens nearer and the earth spread wider below. 

 Now head and tail gleam silver white in the sun- 

 shine; now he hangs motionless, a cross of jet that 

 a lady might wear at her throat, against the clear, 

 unfathomable blue of the June heavens there! he is 

 lost in the blue, so high that I cannot see any more. 

 But even as I turn away he plunges down into vision 

 again, dropping with folded wings straight down like 

 a plummet, faster and faster, larger and larger, through 

 a terrifying rush of air, till I spring to my feet and 

 catch the breath, as if I myself were falling. And 

 just before he dashes himself to pieces he turns in 

 the air, head downward, and half spreads his wings, 

 and goes shooting, slanting down towards the lake, 

 then up in a great curve to the tree-tops, where he can 

 watch better what Kakagos, the rare woods-raven, is 

 doing, and what game he is hunting. For that is 

 what Cheplahgan came down in such a hurry to 

 find out about. 



