New Orleans daily crescent., 1866-10-29

! dropped downward through the air. So I deter |
mined, should he do the same tomorrow, to take |
my chance and fire Just at this instant of time
short enough it is true, but to hit him at any other
moment seemed to me All impOssibity. The next
| day toward night heard the much wished for
rush of the eagles wings. aimed quickly, with |
| out seeing him, as yet, at the spot | had noted
\ pulled the trigger at the moment when, rushing
4 past the eyrie as yesterday fnging in the food,
he made two quick strokes with his pinions, in or
| der, with folded wings, to drop below, and saw
\ him happily go tumbling downward | now de-
scended, fetched the eagle, and hastened with my
prize to Rohrmoos, to make arrangements for get
| ting at the young bird. Hardly allowing myself
| time to eat with all expedition gottogether ten
| wood-cutterss and without delay climbed up to
/ the spot once more, with Weber and the young
4 forester, Vogler, who, as being the ghtest and
i bodestof the party, had volunteered TO be bound
4 to a rope, let down from above and thus in the
/ usual fashion, to be drawn up TO the nest from
i where we stood. But he had not been raised
thirty feet when he grew confused and shouted to
/ be let down. -.
The next day had the ladders and necessary
tools carried up by fourteen wood-cutters. Weber.
the ward, went up to the very top of the preci
i pice, with ten men, and showed them how to di.
4 rect the movement Of the ropes He then came
down to the chamois path under the eyrie, with
the Two young hunters, Baader and Vogler. A
great difficulty was to fasten the three ladders to-
4 gether, and then raise them with the rope. The
six men who stood near me were all doubtful Of
/ the possibility of its accomplishment. However,
after many an hours hard awork, it was done
/ at last
There then stood the three ladders, one hundred
and ten feet in length, firmly bound together and
held by the rope from above, as straight as a
plummet-line, with the foot resting on the earth.
| now had them drawn up till the lowest part
Z hung even with the spot where the young fir was
growing, and by means of boat-hook, pulled
them in and planted them there. The foot of the
ladder was now, it is true, in the right place; but
the upper part, owing to the oVerhangng fOrna-
ton Of the wall of rock, buged out with its own
a nd q m 7
managed at last after vain efforts, repeated for
more than an hour, to make the ladder incline
: inward, toward the eyrie. Weber had now to go
up, and, on the word of command being given,
slacken the rope twenty feet or so, and let the
ladder fall against the eyrie. In this maneuver it
} was much to be feared that either the ladders
would break or that we should have to attempt it
hundred tiaes in vain, till at last, by good
} chance it should fall as we wanted. After end
less endeavors it fell really against the nest with
out breaking. But now | saw that the ladder
reached only the bottom Of the eyriee, and was
therefore some feet too short. It nowhere rested
2 against the rock, and, being Of very light CON
struction, its own weight, long as it was' caused
I it to make q concave line which was unpleasant
to look at. The lower ladder, the craziest of the
three, thirty feet long, stood at angle Of
: sixty degrees the second which had been
entirely constructed during the night, thirty six
feetlong, and destined by me to occupy the cen
+ trail place, as having to support the greatest
{ weight, stood perfectly perpendicular the third
fortyfour feet in length, formed angle like the
r first, only in the contrary drecton-name1y
v backward At the top it was full two feet from
the eyre, and leant against the lower part Of It
9 and on the branches and interviewer boughs Of
/ which it was built.
:. now asked the foresters and the four wood-cut
d ters if they had the courage to go up. Butimme
i dately each one answeredit was quite impossible
II they were to get all the surrounding territory
for their pains, they said nay not for a million
/ would one Of them venture to climb up thai
g ladder.
e i" Wel,' said l, '' must needs 60 up myself
d fer will not let the eaglet sarye after having
. shot the parent birds. Down he must come, nap
: pen what may" '- q
e The six young men looked at each othsl
T abashed, but did not move. now ordered wha
Il was to be done in case Of an accident above all
|. required of them that as long as l was on the
/ ladders not to speak word. Then began tt
| mount them.
:. The first was 50 slender that it rocked with my
r weight very considerably, and was glad when i
e was passed. When came to the perpendicular
e one and saw the position of that at top canno
d deny that as mounted, | commended my soul t
e my maker; but was calm, and full of confidence
y in the strength of my arms and in my bodily ac
If tivity. The perpendicular was now ascended
II Although had not the least giddiness whatever
e could not but see, on looking up, and then dow
n below, thatto mount the third ladder was fea
for rope dancer, rather than for anyone else:
d thinking of my wife and thirteen children
thought whether it would not be better to go back
Trusting, however, to its bearing my weight with
out toppling, now began to mount, my bod
hanging down and away from the ladder, which
Id as the men afterwards told me, was really fear
N full sight. now was at that part of the ladde
ir where it leaned against the struggling branches
Il the eyrie. and had ten or twelVerounds still abov
re le. | discovered that the eyre, instead Of bein
it tWo feet high, as we had supposed, had been ac
ct euEauated by the eagles for years. and was near
Ii eight feet in height The ladder was about eigh
feet too short to enable person to step off it int
the nest. 10 turn back was not at all to my taste
e and the hope of success carried the day.
ID With all heed l mounted higher putting m,
Il hands through the ladder and holding on b,
al the brarc, of the eyre, and with my feet press
ing the laGdsr as closely as possible against it.
q had now the last round of the ladder in my hand
It but there was still five feet to the nest, so that
B. was obliged to trust all my weight to the branche
l. that composed it. Boring my hands and arms a
far as could into the immense fabric of hough
/, and branches, l carefully tested them all, till
: found one that L could neither snap in two no
if drag out. Grasping this firmly thus got on t
l. the topmost round of the ladder-one hundred AM
y ten feet high; but now | could only lean M
e chin firmly against stick on the outermost edg
OF the nest while with both arms held fast on it
IS surface. just before me lay a lalf-putrid deai
IF animal alive with a million of worms; ; but ha
* to face it. When had gained a firm hold, I al
If lowed 1nyselfto stretch my back and knees some
e what; oy doing so gained half foot, which jus
e enabled me to peep into the nest, where, to m
rt despair made the discovery that the young bir
o was sitting in the very hipdermost corner, fou
ID feet away from me. On gaining sight of him,
n held doubly tight with my left hand, an
y
e respect, taking off my cap to him, and waving
ID with shout to the men below.
IN | now cast a look at the household arrangement
of the eyrie, and discovered at least half doze
a. roe and chamois kids, several hares black cock
Of weasel, ETC., all half-devoured, haf.decomposed
ID besides mass of bones and skeletons spread ou
on the nest, which alive with all sorts of yer
J. min. It was veritable carrion-pit, horrid AM
in disgusting. .s-
It fpulled long, thin stick out of the nest, an
ID poked the young bird. 1t furiously seized tn
r. stick with his talons. Drawing the stick quick
/, toward me, with my right hand laid hold of hin
by the back. I had brought thong with me
$ which carried in my mouth in coming up tn
ladder, well foreseeing that my position would no
ct grasp the stick so firmly that could not max
o. him loose his hold. My left arm was beginning t
ID grow fatigued "I If,'' thought !, ~ could onl
lie foretDger Of my left hand" But to get the fore
t. finger at liberty, which with the other fingers aon
rs supported me.to get it out from beneath stron
S branch it would be necessary to swing myself "
ss ward toward the nest, and at the same momef
es relinqulshng my hold, change fingers and hold 0
l. by the three Others only. This was the most PEI
Dt lous moment of the whole undertaking. Than
heaven 1t succeeded m three fnrnrc ha1l n,