Complex sentence: In the 1911 Paris to Madrid air race, Gilbert flew across the Pyrenees Mountains and was attacked by an angry mother eagle defending her young and nest; to ward off the large bird, he simply fired pistol shots at her rather than kill her.
Split into simpler sentences: In the 1911 Paris to Madrid air race, Gilbert flew across the Pyrenees Mountains and was attacked by an angry mother eagle defending her young and nest. To ward off the large bird, he simply fired pistol shots at her rather than kill her.