A Welcome Contribution 413 



presence and unable to resent or avoid it. And all 

 around them were the bones of those of their com- 

 rades who had in like manner sat and waited for death, 

 as if to assure them that although the way was long 

 the goal was sure. An added pathos came from the 

 fact that coming and going birds paid not the slightest 

 attention to these silent candidates for sympathy, 

 much less help. But neither would they assault 

 the helpless ones, and thus open the door of relief 

 to them. As I stood and gazed I felt the tears stream- 

 ing down, for, young as I was, the spectacle was 

 sufficiently sad to compel all my sympathy. But 

 it never occurred to me that I could do anything. 



Very sadly I gathered up my eggs and took my 

 way back, my spirits rising as the distance between 

 me and the dying ones increased, until, when I reached 

 the camp and produced my find, I was quite ready 

 to be puffed up with a sense of my own great im- 

 portance to the community. It was nearly breakfast- 

 time, and my contribution was immediately put in 

 hand for cooking. They were boiled, those eggs, 

 and the first man to taste one shouted joyfully : 

 ' Why, they're better than chickens' eggs.' I cordially 

 endorsed his statement. They were really delicious ; 

 and what is more, there was not an addled one among 

 them, which I attribute to the fact that I had not 

 disturbed any of the parent birds from their sitting. 

 The whole of them were eaten for breakfast, and 

 afterwards, since there were no immediate duties to 

 perform, all hands started for this new treasure field, 

 greedily intent upon riiiing it completely, not at all 

 because we were in need of food, our store being very 

 abundant, but — well, because I suppose man is natur- 

 ally greedy. 



But this raid was, in a little expected sense. 



