The pace, as I said, was tremendous, yet no easier motion can be imagined.

The bird bounded along with immense leaps, with wings outstretched, but its feet touched the ground so lightly that the motion seemed almost equal to flying.

We did not confine ourselves to the roads, for the birds were capable of going over any kind of country in a straight line.

On this occasion we passed over wide fields and rocky mountain ridges and deep swamps and sand wastes at the same speed, until at length we reached a vast forest of dense tree-ferns, where the whole band stopped for a short time, after which we took up a new direction, moving on more slowly.

The forest grew up out of a swamp, which extended as far as the eye could reach from the sea to the mountains.
Along the edge of this forest we went for some time, until at length there came a rushing, crackling sound, as of something moving there among the trees, crushing down everything in its progress.