The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1894-03-07

Z
ut that time 90 have struck little
stretch ofopeu water, and the eagle,
spreading its wings near the ground,
'lanted its fall to strike the prey on
II to see it disappear beneath the
muddy surface. Checking its head
way, the bird, with splendid sweep
whirled towards the coyote, which
with bristling hair drew back on
the defensive an showed his teeth
wickedly. The eagle rose a short
distance into the air and lowered,
tapping his wings, over the beast
The cowboys were hugging them.
selves over the prospects Of a great
fight, when the catfish emerged
once more i'll plain sight. The
eagle at once swooped upon it, set
his talons into its back, and tried
to rise with it into the air. But
the fish slipped free and put off a.
gain down stream, with the eagle
skimming above, trying to seize il
every time its back appeared from
the water. For several minutes
this was kept up. Two or three
times the eagle partly lifted the fish,
but could not hold him long enough
to carry him clear of the water.
He was getting his feathers we
which he did not at all like, anu
presently he abandoned his attack,
and flew up to point of the bluff
that made part of the shore, and
there sat, bobbing his head and ey-
ing the catfish sidewise, as if trying
to make out what manner of crea-
ture he had lighted upon.
All this time the coyote, a high
ly interested spectator from a safe
distance, had been looking for some
chance to make all advantage out
of the shindy, but not venturing to
mix i'll. But no sooner had the
eagle hauled away than he made
grab for the fish and caught one of
his fins i'll his teeth. 1t was a slip
perry hold, and the coyote held his
grip just long enough for the fish in
darling away to yank him plumb
into the center off pool some TWEEN
ty feet wide with foot of water a
bove unknown depths Of quicksand.
While the fish plunged around
churning up mud and bubbles the
coyote scrambled, jumped, and
swan clear Of the quicksands, came
out upon terra firma like flash, and
made across the dry sands yelping
at every second jump. He scrambled
up the bank, and there OH the prai-
rie stopped, shook himself, and
then sat down OH his launches to
lick the sand and water from his
hide and see what was going to
happen next.
The two cowmen made up their
minds that the fun was over, and
started to cross the channel. They
found a path down the bank. let
their horses drink at the water, and
had just gained its opposite bank
when, looking down the stream,
they saw the eagle skimming TO-
wards the catfish, which, once
more, was making its way down
stream with its back half out of
water. The fish had reached the
point where the rivulet disappear
ed in the sands, and a space OF
dry sand ten yards in width stretch
ed between it and the great pool
beyond. 1t could not go further,
it could not turn back, and, with
its nose resting in an inch of water,
the catfish seemed equally doomed
whether attacked or left alone by
his aerial foe. Pouncing squarely
upon the fish, the eagle set his tai
ons i'll near the head, lifted the ifs h
clear OF the water, and, beating the
air with his strong wings, carried
it above the dry channel toward
the shore. With one of his claws
stuck in his victims mouth and the
other cluching breast fin, the eagle
had this time a hold for keeps, -
but the fsh's weight and vigorous
struggles kept its captor near the
ground The high wind blowing
down stream, also bothered the eagle
which presently veered so as to get
the advantage of it. When he
came to the large pool below, which
spread half across the channel, he
tried to circle around it, but the
wind and his load were too much
for him; and with all he could do he
drilted out above the water. The
hsh's tail dragged i'll the water, and
it fetched mighty flop that brought
down fish and eagle, and for five
minutes there was life and death
tussle between the two, above and
below the surface. The eagle
couldn't lift the fish from the water;
his talon in the catfsh's mout h
would not tear loose, and he soon
began to act as if he would like to
drop the whole business if he could.
Torling had just offered to bet
Buck Sampson gallon of whiskey
against a new quirt that the fish
would drown the eagle, when the
combatants in their gyrations came
against a great uprooted cotton
wood tree lying half in the water
at the edge of the pool. The eagle
caught one of the roots with his free
talon, hung on like grim death,
and, Tapping his wings, tore his
claw loose from the fsh's mouth.
With one great whirl the catfish
went down into the depths out of
sight, while the eagle hoped weari-
ly to the highest branch, and there
sat, lifting one foot from time to