Elmore bulletin. [volume] (Rocky Bar, Idaho) 1889-1906, 1893-01-07
A LIFE RISK FOR EGGS
some UNHAPPY noU75 PASSED IN
Ro5BlN3 vJLTuRzS.
Attacked by the Big Creatures ON Pre-
etpitoas cha ia "a Fout and Fiithy Nest.
Abandoned by Guides and Left for

6bbuubbfu ny suthFN A-thh t"t
Hours Aioar-A Terrible Half Day.
II have my little fad Rs we'll as other
people said prosperous, fat and jolly
uaerchant the other day. but
dare say you would gttess long time
without hitting ON IL. 81 ! will confess It
without putting yon TO the trouble. IL Is
my collection of birds eggs. The making
Of that collection gave me many hours OF
rare sport when was an adventurous
young fellow aud had none Of this iosd of
fat to carry about, and the chief use Of il
now il To recall pleasant memories of those
days that will never come again When
you're old youll know how that Is your
self, - and the old gentleman took strong
pull at his cigar and let the smoke out in
n long and noisy sigh.
II was traveller ia thosa DAYS for big
export house which was pushing into Mex
ico and South America for tratle. aud so IL
came about that most ~ my eggs are those
of birds Of thuse orniries Tell you
about some of ihems Don't mind !! do
Well, for want OF Knowing which one to
pick on, I'll tell YOU how came Ia cap
ture the biggest though not the l~.rest one
in the collection. II IL a vulture's egg
WIS in Mexico when got that egg, and
Thought once or twice while ! was secur.
ing ii that | would never get out Of
Mexico again
"Nulturcs are shy of mankind and their
nests are exceedingly hard To find. and 50
when | met hunter who knew where one
was ! hired him. with n couple OF assist
ants, to show me IL and help me get the
eggs. We arrived at the spot about noon.
and ] almost wished had not come The
guide pointed out So me a prrcipitous and
beetling cliff. which looked Ia me 10 be
about So feet high, overhanging a deep
lake. About 100 feet from the top of the
cliff there was rent or hole, which from
where WE stood looked a~ II IL had about
as much room inside IL ~ an empty -four
barrel. In there. the guide said, the vul-
tures had their nest. and the only way to
reach ii was 10 let me down from the top
nj the end of long rope
''it was p-rilous descent hut making
a sort Of chair at The end of "A stout raw
hide rope ! swung myself over the cliff
and two men lowered me slowly while
the third lay ON his face AMI ,-ered over
Into the abyss watching ms. When
got about twenty feet below the hole In
th, cliff signaled them 10 stop. The hole
found was a big around at the entrance
as "A barn door; but the top Of the cliff pro
jected 80 that ] hung fully twenty feet
away from the face of the rock Nothing
dannted, began to swing myself, slowly
at first, and with gradually increasing
force, till my body at last swung In against
the face of the cliif and finally into the
hole itself. Catching "a projecting corner
Of rock, gained my feet, aud was nearly
knocked of them again by the horrible
stencil which greeted me.
The floor Of the hole was strewed with
decayed flesh and fish aud feathers and
bones, and in the middle of IL all lay the
n, 81 Of long grass and as dirty as any pig.
sty and in IL TWO young yultures and one
unmatched egg. The egg was grateful
sight, but the youngsters were an unpleas-
ant surprise. for they al once threw them.
selves on their backs and began to scream
like mad. secured the egg but not with,
out getting couple of bal scratches from
the sharp claws Of the Young birls. which
were about ~ big as hens. was wrap
ping the egg in my coat and the young
birds were filling the air with their clamor
when suddenly there was whir of wings,
the entrance was darkened, and ! got a
blow an the head that knocked me down
In the unspeakahle filth aud filled my eyes
with blood
THE old birds were upon me. | recog.
nized that fact in an instant, and having
nothing To defend myself with | expected
To be knocked down the cliff or at least
have my eyes pecked out. was always
pretty ready Of resource, and in this bad
plight the Thought flashed through my
mind that these unusually timid bird.
were only fierce because they thought
wanted to harm their young. Quickly un
/ rolling the egg from my coat, threw the
garment over the sgualling brats, and
their sharp claws striking into the cloth
at once tangled them inextrcably In t.
Guarding my eyes from the old birds with
one arm, dragged the cont with the two
young ones attached To il 10 the mouth oi
the hole, only a step or two. and hurled
them far out and down into the lake
'As expected the old vultures followed
their young at once and their efforts 10 IN
them out of the water were 81 ludicron,
that laughed aloud NY laugh w,
quickly shut of. however, for in the next
moment, a. I thrust the egg into my
bosom and gave the rope tug as a signa
to my men to pull me up. the rawhid,
came down from the top Of the cliff with
run. Great Scotti How was tn get back
What had those stupid fools at the toI
.4 g uHb utN ttihA tufN Bat
watched me disappear into the hole, haC
seen the old vultnres follow me, and haC
then seen what they thought mast be me
as they distinctly recognized my coat
come flying out again and fall into thu
lake. pursued by the two vultures, whom
they could see pecking at me in th'
waves
"They let 90 the rope and hurried ava,
around and down to the lakes edge to rec
cue my manRled body from being entirel.
eaten up by the birds After some teiiou
hours OF climbing they found out thei
mistake and proceeded to climb bacl
again. BY this time 1t was growing dark
and rs sat hour after hour IN that fou
hole, between heaven and earth, not know
ing what hac happened, you can imagin
my feelings, just ns ] WAS In absolut
despair, I saw stone tied Ia "a thin cor,
swing down in front Of me clntched q
1t with ecstasy and nearly fell over th
edge In my eAzerness. Tying the end @
my rope TO the cord. gave a pull an
away IL went up the cliff again. Afte
due time ] gave pull on the rope, an
liuding IL taut, swung myself out OF tina
Internal hole aud was drawn up to the to
rejoicing, with my precious egg still In m
bosom New York Tribune.
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