by shooting her through the head. This left me but the old male
bird. I think I could have easily knocked him over the head, but my
ambition was to capture him and to take him home as a trophy. I
unfastened the noose of the dead eagle, and, tying it to the rope, had
the Indians hoist it up to the top. Then I made the attempt to tie
together the legs of the young eaglets to have them also drawn up to the
summit. What fighters they were! The way they struck at me with their
little beaks, and in every way possible resented my interference with
their liberty, was wonderful. My hands were sore and bleeding ere I
succeeded in sending up the last of the four to my comrades. I had them
throw down the snares, and with them I made a kind of a lasso which I
tried to throw over the head of the vicious bird. As I threw it he
coolly reached up and cleverly caught it in his beak, and snapped it in
two as quickly as could a pair of scissors. I tried it again, and once
more he was too much for me. Why he had not cut himself loose when in
the snare was a mystery to me when I here saw how clever he was in
cutting my lasso. It was looking rather discouraging, and began to fear
that he would have to be shot.

"My comrades had been amused spectators of my adventures, and now,
seeing me uncertain as to what would be my best move, gave me some
advice. It was this: `Untie the other end of the long noose that holds
him to the rock where you fastened it, and tie it to the rope, and we
will pull him up and see what we can do with him here.' This plan
struck me as a capital one, and so I immediately proceeded to carry it
out. But I had decided on this plan without taking the eagle into my
confidence, and so when I began handing the string he flew at me, and
with beak and wings assailed me. I had foolishly dropped my heavy club,
and so at first was about powerless. Fortunately, I had my hunting
knife at my side, and, quickly drawing it, I fought for my life. The
eagle cleverly warded off my lunges at him by striking me with his
wings. Sometimes so heavily did his blows rain on me that it was a
wonder I was not stunned. Apparently gaining courage by his success, he
seemed to redouble his attacks, and for a time kept me wholly on the
defensive. Making a sudden dash at him with the hope of plunging my
knife into him, he so cleverly, with one of his wings, knocked aside my
knife that in my stumble I found I had awkwardly cut the noo