Birth of the Calf 13 



these were so widely spaced that over them 

 it was impossible to maintain the easy stride 

 with which he passed through the forest ; 

 his only care was to observe in time any 

 deviation from the trail by some member of 

 the herd, so that he might not find himself 

 suddenly ambuscaded, or taken unawares. 

 The trees were still dripping with moisture 

 though the sun was half-way to the zenith ; 

 the buttressed and fluted stems stood singly 

 or in small groups, with broad-leaved crowns 

 enjoying the light, while below them a mass 

 of lesser stems of bamboos, of bushes and of 

 grass all strove as far as they might towards 

 the source of life. 



Around the stems giant climbers had 

 worked their spirals upwards, deeply indenting 

 the tender bark and in some cases suffocating 

 the tree with luxuriant foliage ; or epiphytic 

 fig-trees had encased their hosts with tight- 

 fitting jackets of wood, from which there 

 was no escape. It was piteous to picture the 

 struggles of these forest giants against the 

 parasites, to contemplate the helplessness of 



