THE TRAVELS OF BIRDS 



heard; soon it began to rain lightly. At once 

 birds appeared about the light. At first there 

 were only a few; but their numbers increased 

 rapidly and within a few minutes there were 

 hundreds of them. 



From the feet of the great figure which holds 

 in its hand the fatal torch, the birds, circling in 

 the rays of light above, looked like a swarm of 

 golden bees. In order that we might be among 

 them, we climbed the long spiral stairway, 

 which winds around and around inside the body 

 of the goddess, until we reached her shoulder. 

 Then we mounted the narrow ladder that runs 

 through her up-stretched arm, and came out on 

 the narrow balcony which surrounds the torch. 

 Dazzling white pathways stretched out on every 

 side into the blackness of the night. 



The birds came from the north. We could 

 first see them when they appeared at the end of 

 the lane of light. There they paused for a mo- 

 ment. Then, as though drawn toward us by an 

 unseen power, they would dart straight toward 

 the lantern. Some hit parts of the statue or the 

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