Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1893-01-11
A BATTLE on A PINNACLE.
Fierce Mountain-rop struggle Between m
Eagle and n sheep.

From the San Francisco CALI
A party of hunters ia Kings river canon last
week saw n struggle between an eagle ana a
mountain sheep and the eagle got the wors, 20
! il. The sheep escaped with the lo-s Of q small
quantity OF wool and a few scratches liza man
had escaped from the same position in tine same
manner he would most likely have considered
that miracle had happened
The RinterS saw the sheep in place tho
| rocks that he could not leave. He had come
down the mountain side. but did not ~. m able
10 get up again. and each moment seemed ~ N
he would fall from the ragged rocks Ia the
depth below.
lie was about 500 feet above the bottom Of
the valley and the hunters .pecuiaied % the
means he would take 10 got out Of has liz.
II was plain he could not Jump 90 the bot
tom. and there was no visible means OF his
getting back to the grass-covered hills he had
left al the top.
The sheep realized his position and looked in
every direction for a means Of escate. Not
finding one he wonld jump a little lover unii
he was on a rocky hillside steep that hi- hind
legs were ON a level with his head. Az last 40
got to very small place where he could not
turn around and spent several minutes jumping
from side to the other IL making up las
mind to jump to the bottom.
There only one course left aud he sprang
10 pinnacle of rock about twenty feet below.
Now he was in n iiK. The top OF ths rock was
not more than five or siK feet square and on one
eide wall Of rock impossible TO ascend
without wings and on the other side the clif
went straight down % the valley 500 feet below.
He wac in position whore II seemed as n he
would have TO commit suicide by juIaping or
starving TO death. The hunters expected every
moment to see the sheep dashed to death a; the
bottom Of the clif, and in hopes Of witnessing
the plunge refrained from shooting him.
But while they were waiting another actor
appeared on the scene and things became IN
teresting.
The new arrival was a large eagle that saw at
once the predicament OF he sheep. IL seemed
good chance TO get meal by beating the
sheep from the rock and eating II when It VAS
mangled at the bottom
The sheep realized its danger and brnced 10
self for the attack.
The eagle circled around faster and faster
and at last dashed Itself against the sheep,
but not hard enough to knock il of. IL made
several attempts and the sheep getting
weak.
As it failed to dislodce the sheep by front
attack the eagle decided 10 make one In the
rear. The sheep very nearly went ovef. and
the en- le seemed 20 know that method Of pro-
ceeding was the best. IL repeated the attack
very fiercely. but in some manner got its head
under the animals horn and could not get 10
out again. The sheep, seeing his advantage,
held his head back. while the eagle clAwed
furiousIy and beat the air with its wings.
Soon both rolled from the cliff. but the eagle
tapped its wings with terrible power, aud the
descent was very slow.
The bottom almost reached when the
eagle caught in the branches Of pine tree, aud
for a moment both hung in the air q few feet
above the earth
But the eagle was quiet, and its neck had
been broken.
The sheep seemed very weak for some time,
but at last gave a few kicks ard fell 10 the
ground, leaving its assailant hanging 20 the
tree.