scalps of their enemies and the necklaces of the grizzly
bears' claws, the proudest ornaments with which they can decorate
themselves."

"Did you ever have one attack you?" said Sam.

"Or did you ever try to get hold of a wounded one's talons with your
naked hand?" said Alec.

This latter question caused some laughter at Sam's expense, as at him it
was evidently aimed, in view of his recent mishap with the owl. Mr
Ross's answer was grateful to Sam, as it stopped the laughter and showed
that others might make the same mistake or meet with similar adventures.

"Yes, indeed," said Mr Ross, "for I can answer both questions that way.
It was long ago when my father had charge of a Hudson Bay trading post
away west of this, where the Rocky Mountain ranges were not very far
distant from us. I was fond of sport, and went with the Indians on all
sorts of hunting adventures. Sometimes we would be gone for days
together, and have all kinds of strange experiences. We hunted every
kind of wild animal that roamed in the prairies, in the foothills, or in
the mountains themselves. Very glorious was the scenery among these
magnificent mountains. Once when out with some Assiniboines, or
Mountain Stonies, as they are generally called by the whites, we saw a
large eagle attack a mountain sheep with such fury that the sheep lost
its footing and went whirling down the mountain side to certain
destruction. The eagle, instead of swooping down on the quivering
carcass, as we had expected it to do, dashed at what we now observed for
the first time--a little timid lamb that its mother had vainly tried to
defend. The fierce eagle, with an exultant scream, fastened its strong
talons into the back of the frightened little creature, and then,
flapping its great wings, began slowly rising from the rock. We watched
it as it slowly flew away until it landed on a ledge of rocks away up on
a mountain side near the top. As soon as it landed we observed that
there was its aerie, for from a clump of sticks some little heads were
outstretched for food. The eyes of my Indian attendants gleamed with
satisfaction, and they said:--

"`We will soon have your feathers, old Mr Eagle, and that will stop
your destroying our mountain game.'

"While the side of the mountain on which the eagles had built their nest
was quite precipitous, the back part was easily scaled, so that hunters
with level heads could climb, by being careful, up so high that they