Page:Story of the robins.djvu/208

192 After this she put them before a place which glowed with a brightness something resembling the setting sun, which, on the woman's retiring, I approached, and found intolerably hot, I therefore made a hasty retreat; but resolving to know the end of the partridges, I kept hovering about the house; and at last, looking in at a window, I saw them, smoking hot, set before the man who murdered them, who was accompanied by several others, all of whom eyed them with as much delight as I have seen any of you display at the sight of the finest worm or insect that could be procured. In an instant after this the poor partridges were divided limb from limb, and each one of the party present had his share, till every bone was picked. There were other things devoured in the same manner; from which I learnt that men feed on birds and other animals, as we do on those little creatures which are destined for our sustenance, only they do not eat them alive."

"Pray, father," said Dicky, "do they eat redbreasts?" "I believe not," said he, "but I have reason to suppose they make many a meal of sparrows, for I have seen vast numbers of them killed."

At this instant their attention was attracted by one of the partridges in the pen, which thus addressed