BIRDS IN A VILLAGE 61 



kind. He would, so long as he confined himself 

 to this kind of food, be immortal. 



Not a moment did the wretched boy hesitate 

 to make use of this new and wonderful knowl- 

 edge. When he had found and broken open an 

 ant-hill, so eager was he that, shutting his eyes, 

 he snatched up the maddened insects by handfuls 

 and swallowed them, dust and ants together, and 

 was then tortured for hours, feeling and thinking 

 that they were still alive within him, running about 

 in search of an outlet and frantically biting. 

 The strange food, sickened him, so that he grew 

 thinner and paler, until at last he could barely 

 crawl on hands and feet, and was like a skeleton 

 except for the great sad eyes that could still see 

 the green earth and blue sky, and still reflected 

 in their depths one fear and one desire. And 

 slowly, day by day, as his system accustomed itself 

 to the new diet, his strength returned, and he was 

 able once more to walk erect and run, and to 

 climb a tree, where he could sit concealed among 

 the thick foliage and survey the village where he 

 had first seen the light and had passed the care- 

 less, happy years of boyhood. But he cherished 

 no tender memories and regrets ; his sole thought 



