Sharp County record., 1888-04-26
FAWN AND EAGLES.
A Mother Does Heroic Defense OF
Her Little One.

Some twelve years ago, while scout
inp with soldiers in Central Nebraska
near pretty little stream called the
Cedar, we saw over a distant ridge n
huge eagle soaring in the air. As we
watched him he darted ferociousIy
down, and then came battling back in
the air with angry shrieks and Hap
ping wings TO repeat the dashes again
from time to time.
"Tackling a rattlesnake, may bel
Got a gopher away from his hole, l
guessr' Don't know how to get a
grip on a hedgehog, prObably! we're
some of the many conjectures that
came from the soldiers along the line.
TOO much of racket for any such
small-fry as snakes or gopher3 orsuch
varmints, remarked our guide, as we
watched the eagle. Perhaps it's an
elk or deer some lnjuns have wound
ed" he continued So with this idea
as the most likely explanation, the
guide and rode over to investigate,
my thoughts bent on finding a wound
ed animal, which would prove the cx-
istence of hostile Indians near by. as
at that time the Cedar Greek region
was almost unknown to white men,
the nearest settlement being sixty
miles south.
As we approached the spot over
which the eagle was lowering we
noticed that there were two OF the
birds, one of which kept on the ground
and when the one in the air made an
attack the other would assist, return
ing to its place in the high gr"ss as
the other scared upward.
81 mowed it was a deer they were
tackling," said my guide, as at a trot
we ascended to the summit of a ridge
and saw fine full grown doe stand
ing at bay before the eagles. She was
so intent on battling with her winged
enemies that she paid no attention to
our presence, although we took no
care to hide ourselves from her, and
were only two or three hundred y ards
away.
She's wounded, o course" said
the guide, as we halted to view the
proceedings, "for them eagles know
enough not to waste their time on q
full-grown deer that Is all right, an
the smell o the blood maddens 'em.
Even the eagles did not deign to
notice what must have been our very
conspicuous presence, and angrily
ruffled their feathers and prepared for
another assault The one on the
ground came hopping along first with
arched neck and spread wings, like a
fighting cock in the barn-yard, and
when within ten or fifteen feet kept
circling around, the doe facing it from
whatever quarter it appeared, while
The eagle in the air slowly APP
preached to within q foot or two,
striking its wings and pecking at the
does head. So great was this irrta-
ton from above that the desperate
deer rose suddenly on her hlnd-feet
and struck at the bird with her fore
hoofs. As she rose, the eagle on the
ground rushed rapidly toward her,
and down she came in q second,
striking at it rapidly with blows from
her forefeet that could be plainly
heard by us so far away. / thought
and hoped) that she had killed it at
first, it looked 50 like a bundle Of
rumpled feathers in front of her feet
but it was only "shamming." 10 get
the deer to follow it up, a temptation
so great that the angered beast
did finally make one or two
savage leaps at it, striking
with its forefcet; but the bird escaped,
seemingly just by "the skin Of his
teeth" but none the less ffectualIy.
As the deer rushed forward, the eagle
in the air swooped downward on the
spot where the animal had been stand
ing. and quick as a flash she wheeled
from her short pursuit and made for
the new assailant. There was no
doubt of her success this time.
'Goodw well donev' went up
from both of us, as we saw the feathers
fly and the eagle go screaming into
the air, the other hopping away to a
safe distance
There's the whole thing in nut
shell, Lieutenant" remarked the
GUIDE, who had eyes like hawk,