It was a vulture, watching her from his airy heights and descending a little to see if she were dead, or only sleeping.
Involuntarily she shuddered.

The bird of death reminded her of Death himself also hanging high up yonder in the blue and waiting his opportunity to fall upon the sleeper.

Then her eyes fell upon a bough of the glorious flowering bush under which she rested.

It was not more than four feet above her head, but she lay so still and motionless that a jewelled honeysucker came and hovered over the flowers, darting from one to another like a many-coloured flash.

Thence her glance travelled to the great column of boulders that towered above her, and that seemed to say, "I am very old.