They fought for the blue eggs, and getting them hurried away with gladness.
They buried the blue eggs in the soft loam on the sunny side of the cliff. They sat down to watch when the young birds should hatch.
Now there remained those weaker earth children who had been pushed aside. For them there was no choice. The strange prince gave into their hand the red-brown eggs.
The red-brown eggs were placed amid the soft green grasses by the riverside. The earth children into whose care they were given sat also by the riverside and waited.
Sometimes, as they waited for the hatching of the red-brown eggs, they looked up to the place in the cliff where the stronger ones watched the beautiful blue eggs.
Then the weaker ones sighed and turned to the ugly red-brown eggs amid the grasses.
By and bye, as those on the cliff waited, they heard faint tappings inside the blue shells.
"Ah," they said, "the birds will come soon now. They will lead us to the land of summer-time."
When at length the shells burst and the young birds came out, they looked much as other birds look. They had large mouths and panting sides and tiny featherless bodies. Soon the pin-feathers appeared.
"See!" cried the watchers, "now the beautiful plumage is starting!"