With a lightning swerve it emerged from under the great wings and darted behind Uncle Andy's head.
The baffled owl, not daring to come so near the hated man-creatures, winnowed off in ghostly silence.
At the same moment a tiny, quivering thing, like a dark leaf, floated to the ground.

There, instead of lying quiet like a leaf, it fluttered softly.
"What's that ?" demanded the Child.
"_Hush_!" ordered Uncle Andy in a peremptory whisper.
The shadowy leaf on the ground continued to flutter, as if trying to rise into the air.

Presently the bat reappeared and circled over it.
A moment more and it dropped, touched the ground for a second with wide, uplifted wings, and then sailed off again on a long, swift, upward curve.

The fluttering, shadowy leaf had disappeared.
For once the Child had no questions ready.

He had so much to ask about all at once.