Also, when he beheld the creatures such as had any fault or defect of limbs, he could not find one amongst them like himself. All these matters evoked great grief and anxiety within him; and after having earnestly pondered over the matter and perplexed himself therewith, he at last gave up, in utter despair, the hope of being supplied with that, the want of which so sorely troubled his mind. _Hayy as a boy of seven. He covers himself with leaves._ Thereupon he, having by this time grown to be a boy of seven, decided to put forth his own efforts and to help himself. He took some broad leaves of trees (wherewith to cover his nakedness) and put some on the fore-part of his body, covering the hinder parts with the others; and having thus made a girdle of palm-leaves and rushes together, he girded his waist therewith. But it was not long before the leaves, growing dry, withered and fell off from him. Hayy, by no means discouraged, at once took fresh ones in their stead, and put them one on top of another, thus forming double folds; but even then, though remaining somewhat longer, they would not last but a short time. Thereupon, he broke off the bough of a tree, the ends whereof he made straight, stripping off the twigs, and then smoothed the middle parts thereof. _Hayy becomes aggressive, and attacks wild beasts._ Thus armed, he began to attack and affright such of the wild beasts as ventured to oppose him, assaulting the weaker and defending himself against the stronger. In this way he came to understand to some degree his own strength, and found out that his head by far excelled theirs, as he had been enabled therewith to cover his own nakedness and to provide himself with a weapon wherewith to defend himself. So that now he had no need of those natural weapons which he had formerly so much desired. _Hayy covers himself with the skin of an Eagle._ By this time he had grown up and was now past seven years of age; and as he found the frequent repairing of the leaves wherewith he covered himself very troublesome to him, it entered his mind to take unto him the tail of some dead beast, and gird it about him. But when he noticed that all the beasts shunned the dead bodies of those that were of the same kind, and saw them flee from them, he began to feel doubtful whether it was safe for him to do so, until at length he lighted one day on a dead eagle; and when he noticed that none of the animals fled before him, he thought that from him he might get his desire accomplished. So, seizing the opportunity, he stepped forward towards him and first cut off the wings and the tail complete just as they were; then he smoothed the feathers, and spread them open; thereupon he tore off the remainder of the skin, dividing it into two portions, whereof he wore the one on his back, the other upon his belly and the secret parts. The tails he fixed behind and the wings on his arms. Thus he was at the same time covered and kept warm.