In his home on the mountain he had had several of them for friends.

He had learned to know and answer their calls.

He had learned to admire their wisdom and to respect their moods and tempers.
He loved to watch them.

Especially he loved to see the great birds cut through the air with a wide sweep of wings, so alive, so gloriously free! But this crow-- This crow was not cutting through the air with a wide sweep of wing.

It was in the middle of a cornfield, and it was rising and falling and flopping about in a most extraordinary fashion.