at any moment. I didn't very much like to put my hand into the hole,
for how did I know but that there might be a big snake in it? However,
it had to be done, so in went my hand. Something hit it a vicious dig,
and you can be sure that I pulled it out in a hurry. To tell the truth,
I was badly frightened for a minute, and nearly lost my balance. Then it
flashed on me that the eggs we were in search of were young birds.

"Bob!" I shouted, "there are young ones!"

"Hooray!" cried Bob. "That's better yet. Throw 'em down, and I'll catch
'em in my hat."

Much as I hated to do it, I thrust in my hand again, and out came a
young hawk, biting, scratching, and screaming. I didn't hold it long,
but in less time than you can say "Jack Robinson," down it went into
Bob's hat.

Just as I threw down the third and last bird I heard Bob shout, "Look
out! the old one's coming." Then something hit me on all sides of my
head at once, just as if half a dozen school-teachers were boxing my
ears at the same time. I put up my hands to defend my eyes, lost my
balance, and, crash!-- I didn't know anything more for the next five
minutes.

When I came to myself Bob was dashing water in my face by the hatful. I
could just manage to say, "Don't drown me."

"Then you're not dead!" exclaimed Bob. "You gave me an awful scare. Why,
I couldn't make you speak a word. Don't ever go and do it again."

"I'm not dead yet, Bob, but it was a pretty ugly fall, wasn't it? Where
are the young hawks?"

"Oh, they're all right. I've got 'em tied up in my handkerchief. Try and
see if you can stand up."

I did try, but the minute I bore my weight on my right ankle such a
sharp pain went through it that down I fell, and fainted away again.

When I came to, the second time, I heard a man say, "Guess we'd better
carry him right down to the house, and get the doctor to 'tend to him."
Bob had gone to a farm-house near by, and had brought two men to help
him take care of me.

"I'm all right now," said I, "except my ankle, and I guess Bob can wheel
me home in a wheelbarrow."

"I'll wheel you myself," said one of the men. "You've done a good job
breaking up that there hawks' nest, and I owe you something for it."

You'd better believe that the boys stared when they saw Farmer Jones
wheeling me home, and Bob carrying three young hawks in his
handkerchief. I felt pretty proud, but was laid up for three weeks with
my sprained ankle, and I made up my mind that the