She could tell at once by their flight if their hunt had been
successful, and in that event she felt relieved for the safety of those
who belonged to her. But on this particular day she had not seen the
eagles return. "I must be getting old and stupid," she thought, when she
had waited a time for them. "The eagles have probably been home this
long while."
In the afternoon she looked toward the cliff again, expecting to see the
eagles perched on the rocky ledge where they usually took their
afternoon rest; toward evening, when they took their bath in the dale
lake, she tried again to get sight of them, but failed. Again she
bemoaned the fact that she was growing old. She was so accustomed to
having the eagles on the mountain above her that she could not imagine
the possibility of their not having returned.
The following morning Akka was awake in good season to watch for the
eagles; but she did not see them. On the other hand, she heard in the
morning stillness a cry that sounded both angry and plaintive, and it
seemed to come from the eagles' nest. "Can there possibly be anything
amiss with the eagles?" she wondered. She spread her wings quickly, and
rose so high that she could perfectly well look down into the nest.
There she saw neither of the eagles. There was no one in the nest save a
little half-fledged eaglet who was screaming for food.
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