ake good use of the fine quarry that had
lodged in the rocks so conveniently near their nest; and resented the
coming of another claimant.

But no matter what the contributing cause might be, they were
undoubtedly as "mad as a wet hen," as Step Hen afterwards declared, in
telling of his adventure there on that shelf of rock, fully a hundred
feet from the top and the bottom, on the steep face of the mountain.

His first thought was how he could fight back, for he saw that he was
to be at the mercy of the great birds that swooped down again and
again, striking viciously at him with claws, beaks and powerful
wings, until the boy was bleeding in half a dozen different places.

In casting his eyes about, even as he fought with his bare hands, and
shouted for assistance at the top of his voice, Step Hen made a little
discovery. A tree must have grown up above at one time or other, for
there, stuck fast in a crevice of the rock he saw a pretty good-sized
remnant of a branch that he believed would make a fair cudgel, better
than his bare hands at any rate, with which to strike at the attacking
eagles.

When he had clutched this in his eager hand the boy felt more
confidence; and watching his opportunity he did manage to meet the
swoop of the next bird with a whack that sent it whirling back. But
they quickly learned to adopt other tactics, now that he was armed,
both of them coming together from opposite directions; so that unable
to dodge, or hit back properly Step Hen again found himself getting
the worst of the fight.

Would his companions be able to do anything for him; or was he to be
left there on that shelf of rock, to either conquer his savage
enemies, alone and unaided, or succumb to their ferocious assaults?

All the while he was beating at them with might and main Step Hen kept
up a constant shouting. He had a double purpose in this,--hoping to
tempt one of his companions to descend to his rescue, carrying a gun,
since they seemed unable to hit the birds from above, though several
shots had been fired; and then again it was possible that the sound of
a human voice would by degrees cause the eagles to haul off.

"Take that, will you!" the boy cried, whenever he succeeded in
reaching either of his feathered assailants with his club. "Come at me
again, will you? Just wait, and see what happens to you yet! Ouch!
that hurt some, now! Oh! if I could only swing this club around
better, without bein' afraid of tumbli