Were I in any but a peaceful land, I
should say that a great battle had been fought not so far from us, and
to the northward."
Then my mother looked up at him, knowing that he had seen many fights,
and was wise in the signs that men look for before them; but she asked
nothing, and so I said, "What makes you think this, father?"
He answered me with another question.
"How many kites will you see overhead at any time, sons?"
I wondered at this, but it was easy to answer---to Raven, at least.
"Always one, and sometimes another within sight of the first," Raven said.
"And if there is food, what then?"
"The first swoops down on it, and the next follows, and the one that
watches the second follows that, and so on until there are many kites
gathered."
"What if one comes late?"
"He swings overhead and screams, and goes back to his place; then no
more come."
"Ay," he said; "you will make a sailor yet, son Raven, for you watch
things. Now I will tell you what I saw today. There was the one kite
sailing over my head as I was at the ship garth, and presently it
screamed so that I looked up. Then it left its wide circles over the
town, and flew northward, straight as an arrow. Then from the southward
came another, following it, and after that another, and yet others, all
going north. And far off I could see where others flew, and they too
went north.
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