steps to get spring, and bounding heavily into 

 the air, would smite the earth with his too long 

 wings, and go swinging up above the trees. As 

 these grew small and disappeared in the distance, 

 others came into view, mere specks among the 

 clouds, descending in ever-diminishing circles 

 until they settled, without word or greeting, with 

 their fellows at the banquet. 



The fence was black with them. Evidently 

 there is news that spreads even among these iu- 

 communicative ghouls. Soon one settled upon 

 the fence-stake directly over me. To dive from 

 the clouds at the frightful rate of a mile a min- 

 ute, and, with those mighty wings, catch the 

 body in the invisible net of air about the top of 

 a fence-stake, is a feat that stops one's breath to 

 see. No matter if, here within my reach, his 

 suit of black looked rusty ; no matter if his beak 

 was a sickly, milky white, his eyes big and wa- 

 tery, and wrinkled about his small head and 

 snaky neck was red, bald skin, making a visage 

 as ugly as could be made without human assis- 

 tance. In spite of all this, I looked upon him 

 with wonder ; for I had seen him mark this slen- 

 der pole from the clouds, and hurl himself toward 

 [330] 



