Light was waiting for them anxiously:
"Well, have you caught him?" she asked.
"Yes, yes!" said Tyltyl. "Lots of them! There are thousands! Look!"
As he spoke, he held out the dear birds to her and saw, to his dismay, that they were nothing more than lifeless corpses: their poor little wings were broken and their heads drooped sadly from their necks! The boy, in his despair, turned to his companions. Alas, they too were hugging nothing but dead birds!
Then Tyltyl threw himself sobbing into Light's arms. Once more, all his hopes were dashed to the ground.
"Do not cry, my child," said Light. "You did not catch the one that is able to live in broad daylight.... We shall find him yet...."
"Of course, we shall find him," said Bread and Sugar, with one voice.
They were great boobies, both of them; but they wanted to console the boy. As for friend Tylô, he was so much put out that he forgot his dignity for a moment and, looking at the dead birds, exclaimed:
"Are they good to eat, I wonder?"
The party set out to walk back and sleep in the Temple of Light. It was a melancholy journey; all regretted the peace of home and felt inclined to blame Tyltyl for his want of caution. Sugar edged up to Bread and whispered in his ear: