THE CARBON AND NITROGEN CYCLES 105 



But at last the cliif was washed away and I passed into the great 

 body of the sea and was absorbed into a tiny plant, living beneath 

 the salt waters; but this was devoured by a glittering, gorgeous 

 £sh, and so I entered his body. Then this fish was devoured by 

 a reptile, which creeping out of the water, entered a swamp and 

 died, and its huge body decaying I was washed into the soil, and 

 there meeting with the rootlet of a plant I entered into and 

 formed a part of it; and this was eaten by an animal; and so I 

 entered into its body and formed part of his bones. While we 

 were crossing a ravine one bright sunshiny day, millions of years 

 ago, a green monster flashed out upon us and slew my master and 

 devoured me. After a time my new host was also slain in a 

 similar manner, and his body, decaying in the rank grass and 

 vegetation of the swamp, I was ultimately washed out to sea in a 

 sudden flood, which, coming down from the hills, swept me away. 

 Here I mingled with the mud at the bottom of the sea and stayed 

 there for millions of years and became covered over with mighty 

 layers of mud and sand and sank ever deeper and deeper into the 

 earth, and at last once more I felt the glow of the nether fires. 

 Here in the great gleaming furnaces of the deep I remained for 

 many a million of years, while miles above me the world changed 

 and developed, mountains came and went, new and strange crea- 

 tures evolved, developed, filled all the earth, and died out again. 

 One day, I was hurled forth amidst vast thunderings through the 

 throat of a great volcano, and formed part of a molten lava 

 stream, which in time became a fertile field covered with waving 

 crops and golden grain. Then I entered into a grain of corn 

 and was devoured by a man living thousands of years ago, a mere 

 savage you would term him, wild and fierce. From him I passed 

 to earth once more, and since then have been passing in a ceaseless 

 round of change through the bodies of living creatures. I have 

 flown through the air in a bird, I have swum in the sea in a fish, I 

 have roamed over the earth in a beast, I have formed part of 

 innumerable plants. But the full tale would only weary you, 

 wonderful as it is. One day a few years ago I was devoured by 

 an ox while forming part of a piece of grass, and soon by the 



