A Little Boy Lost Page 17

  CHAPTER XV

  MARTIN'S EYES ARE OPENED

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  One morning when they went up into a wild rocky place very high upon the hillside a number of big birds were seen coming over themountain at a great height in the air, travelling in a northerlydirection. They were big hawks almost as big as eagles, with verybroad rounded wings, and instead of travelling straight like otherbirds they moved in wide circles, so that they progressed very slowly.

  They sat down on a stone to watch the birds, and whenever one flyinglower than the others came pretty near them Martin gazed delightedlyat it, and wished it would come still nearer so that he might see itbetter. Then the woman stood up on the stone, and, gazing skywardsand throwing up her arms, she uttered a long call, and the birdsbegan to come lower and lower down, still sweeping round in widecircles, and by and by one came quite down and pitched on a stone afew yards from them. Then another came and lighted on another stone,then another, and others followed, until they were all round him inscores, sitting on the rocks, great brown birds with black bars ontheir wings and tails, and buff-coloured breasts with rust-red spotsand stripes. It was a wonderful sight, those eagle-like hawks, withtheir blue hooked beaks and deep-set dark piercing eyes, sitting innumbers on the rocks, and others and still others dropping down fromthe sky to increase the gathering.

  Then the woman sat down by Martin's side, and after a while one ofthe hawks spread his great wings and rose up into the air to resumehis flight. After an interval of a minute or so another rose, thenanother, but it was an hour before they were all gone.

  "O the dear birds--they are all gone!" cried Martin. "Mother, whereare they going?"

  She told him of a far-away land in the south, from which, whenautumn comes, the birds migrate north to a warmer country hundredsof leagues away, and that birds of all kinds were now travellingnorth, and would be travelling through the sky above them for manydays to come.

  Martin looked up at the sky, and said he could see no birds now thatthe buzzards were all gone.

  "I can see them," she returned, looking up and glancing about the sky.

  "O mother, I wish I could see them!" he cried. "Why can't I see themwhen you can?"

  "Because your eyes are not like mine. Look, can you see this?" andshe held up a small stone phial which she took from her bosom.

  He took it in his hand and unstopped and smelt at it. "Is it honey?Can I taste it?" he asked.

  She laughed. "It is better than honey, but you can't eat it!" shesaid. "Do you remember how the honey made you feel like a snake?This would make you see what I see if I put some of it on your eyes."He begged her to do so, and she consenting poured a little into thepalm of her hand. It was thick and white as milk; then taking someon her finger tip, she made him hold his eyes wide open while sherubbed it on the eye-balls. It made his eyes smart, and everythingat first looked like a blue mist when he tried to see; then slowlythe mist faded away and the air had a new marvellous clearness, andwhen he looked away over the plain beneath them he shouted for joy,so far could he see and so distinct did distant objects appear. Atone point where nothing but the grey haze that obscured the distancehad been visible, a herd of wild cattle now appeared, scattered about,some grazing, others lying down ruminating, and in the midst of theherd a very noble-looking, tawny-coloured bull was standing.

  "O mother, do you see that bull?" cried Martin in delight.

  "Yes, I see him," she returned. "Sometimes he brings his herd tofeed on the hillside, and when I see him here another time I shalltake you to him, and put you on his back. But look now at the sky,Martin."

  He looked up, and was astonished to see numbers of great birdsflying north, where no birds had appeared before. They were mileshigh, and invisible to ordinary sight, but he could see them sodistinctly, their shape and colours, that all the birds he knew wereeasily recognized. There were swans, shining white, with black headsand necks, flying in wedge-shaped flocks, and rose-colouredspoonbills, and flamingoes with scarlet wings tipped with black, andibises, and ducks of different colours, and many other birds, bothwater and land, appeared, flock after flock, all flying as fast astheir wings could bear them towards the north.

  He continued watching them until it was past noon, and then he sawfewer and fewer, only very big birds, appearing; and then these wereseen less and less until there were none. Then he turned his eyes onthe plain and tried to find the herd of wild cattle, but they wereno longer visible; it was as he had seen it in the morning with thepale blue haze over all the distant earth. He was told that thepower to see all distant things with a vision equal to his mother'swas now exhausted, and when he grieved at the loss she comforted himwith the promise that it would be renewed at some other time.

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  Now one day when they were out together Martin was greatly surprisedand disturbed at a change in his mother. When he spoke to her shewas silent; and byand-by, drawing a little away, he looked at herwith a fear which increased to a kind of terror, so strangelyaltered did she seem, standing motionless, gazing fixedly withwide-open eyes at the plain beneath them, her whole face white anddrawn with a look of rage. He had an impulse to fly from her andhide himself in some hole in the rocks from the sight of that pale,wrathful face, but when he looked round him he was afraid to movefrom her, for the hill itself seemed changed, and now looked blackand angry even as she did. The ground he stood on, the grey oldstones covered with silvery-white and yellow lichen and prettyflowery, creeping plants, so beautiful to look at in the brightsunlight a few moments ago, now were covered with a dull mist whichappeared to be rising from them, making the air around them dark andstrange. And the air, too, had become sultry and close, and the skywas growing dark above them. Then suddenly remembering all her loveand kindness he flew to her, and clinging to her dress sobbed out,"O mother, mother, what is it?"

  She put her hand on him, then drew him up to her side, with his feeton the stone she was standing by. "Would you like to see what I see,Martin?" she asked, and taking the phial from her bosom she rubbedthe white thick liquid on his eye-balls, and in a little while, whenthe mistiness passed off, she pointed with her hand and told him tolook there.

  He looked, and as on the former occasion, all distant things wereclearly visible, for although that mist and blackness given off bythe hill had wrapped them round so that they seemed to be standingin the midst of a black cloud, yet away on the plain beneath the sunwas shining brightly, and all that was there could be seen by him.Where he had once seen a herd of wild cattle he now saw mounted men,to the number of about a dozen, slowly riding towards the hill, andthough they were miles away he could see them very distinctly. Theywere dark, black-bearded men, strangely dressed, some withfawn-coloured cloaks with broad stripes, others in a scarlet uniform,and they wore cone-shaped scarlet caps. Some carried lances, otherscarbines; and they all wore swords--he could see the steel scabbardsshining in the sun. As he watched them they drew rein and some ofthem got off their horses, and they stood for some time as iftalking excitedly, pointing towards the hill and using emphaticgestures.

  What were they talking about so excitedly? thought Martin. He wantedto know, and he would have asked her, but when he looked up at hershe was still gazing fixedly at them with the same pale face andterrible stern expression, and he could but dimly see her face inthat black cloud which had closed around them. He trembled with fearand could only murmur, "Mother! mother!" Then her arm was put roundhim, and she drew him close against her side, and at that moment--Ohow terrible it was!--the black cloud and the whole universe was litup with a sudden flash that seemed to blind and scorch him, and thehill and the world was shaken and seemed to be shattered by an awfulthunder crash. It was more than he could endure: he ceased to feelor know anything, and was like one dead, and when he came to himselfand opened his eyes he was lying in her lap with her face smilingvery tenderly, bending over him.

  "O, poor little Martin," she said, "what a poor, weak little boy youare to lose your senses at the lightning and thunder
! I was angrywhen I saw them coming to the hill, for they are wicked, cruel men,stained with blood, and I made the storm to drive them away. Theyare gone, and the storm is over now, and it is late--come, let us goto our cave;" and she took him up and carried him in her arms.