Thus he stayed until an eagle caught sight of him, pounced right down,
and flew off with him to her nest, which was on a huge rock that rose
straight up into the cold air and made the summit of a mountain.
When the old eagle plumped the little old man down into the nest, just
imagine, if you can, how astonished the eaglets were! They opened their
beaks as well as their eyes, and cried out:
"What's this, mother? What _is_ this?"
"Oh! it's only a man," cried the old eagle. "I found him roosting in
the top of a tree. Don't know how he got there. Suppose he was trying
to fly, and couldn't. Tell us how it was, old man."
"Can he talk?"
"Talk!" said the eagle. "Of course he can talk. And he can tell
stories, too, I warrant you. So, if you like, you may keep him to tell
you stories."
"Oh, wont that be nice! Tell us a story, right off," they all screamed,
jerking the old man down into the nest.
"But it's so dirty here," said he, looking around, with his nose turned
up a little. "Let me sit on the edge of the nest, wont you?--and I'll
tell you all the stories you want."
"You'll fall over.".
"Oh no, I wont.
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