" the bird is mine , " said maidwa , to himself . but to his great surprise , instead of seeing it droop its neck and drift to the shore , the red swan flapped its wings , rose slowly , and flew off with a majestic motion toward the falling sun . maidwa , that he might meet his brothers , rescued two of the magic arrows from the water ; and although the third was borne off , he had a hope yet to recover that too , and to be master of the swan . he was noted for his speed ; for he would shoot an arrow and then run so fast that the arrow always fell behind him ; and he now set off at his best speed of foot . " i can run fast , " he thought , " and i can get up with the swan some time or other . " he sped on , over hills and prairies , toward the west , and was only going to take one more run , and then seek a place to sleep for the night , when , suddenly , he heard noises at a distance , like the murmur of waters against the shore . as he went on , he heard voices , and presently he saw people , some of whom were busy felling trees , and the strokes of their labor echoed through the woods . he passed on , and when he emerged from the forest , the sun was just falling below the edge of the sky .
the third was borne off .
why was maidwa not able to rescue the third magic arrow ?
why was maidwa not able to rescue the third magic arrow ?