THE RED COW 



very near the object of their wrath, which seemed 

 royally unconscious of their clamour. I walked to- 

 wards the tree — the sole remnant of the original 

 forest, a huge maple that is over three feet in diam- 

 eter at the base, and which reaches fully thirty feet 

 above the second-growth trees by which it is sur- 

 rounded. When I was within about forty yards of 

 the tree my visitor stretched his neck and turned to 

 look at me. It was a magnificent bald eagle — the 

 first I had ever seen outside of a zoological garden. 

 I was near enough to catch the glint of his fierce eye. 

 He gave me "the once-over" with an expression of 

 haughty disdain, such as I have seen on the face of 

 a bank President who has been forced to look at 

 something that has spoiled his day. Then he turned 

 toward the rising sun, leaned forward as if making 

 obeisance, and launched himself into the morning 

 with a wide beat of wings. He paid no attention 

 to the pursuing crows. After a few powerful 

 strokes he swung up on a vast spiral and sailed away 

 to the east. Although he was so unsociable, I was 

 glad to have seen him, and I had a really exciting 

 story to tell the children when they got home from 

 school in the evening. 



210 



