Iowa state bystander. [volume] (Des Moines, Iowa) 1894-1916, 1900-04-27

Lois that ~ ran toward I'M, plstly|
raising tha basket ~ Es6 head. Ono
81 enc eagles swoops "a ~ thS sams NO,
ment. struck its claws into the basket,
tearing u away. and wounding the
child face. ss s;5s n
Her shrek Of pain brought the
dazed boy TO his feet; but before he
could strike. the eagle swooped again
with great force. One claw buried IT,
| self in his appraised arm, and again no
was dragged violently from his feet.
The eagle, holding fast, with m angry
scream, beat him hard with its wings,
then sunk its hooked beak in his
cheek.
Boy and bird fell end rolled over. on
the ground; but the boy grasped the
birds neck, and with his wounded
arm dealt such blows as he could, and
tore out handflls of feathers until the
eagle, struggling free from his grasp,
rose ! few feet. The relief was only
for an instant, for the bird pounced
down on him again, and yet again.
The lad was thrown on his back, but
kept on fighting, striking and kick
ing upward with both feet. The eagle,
olutching his foot with its talons,
dragged him for number of yards,
beating him terribly with it's wings.
It was while being thus dragged, his
eyes nearly blinded with blood, that
the boy, striking for dear life's sake
with the corn-outter, rove the point
OF it into the eagle under its wing.
For little time the wound appeared
ineffective. The bird let go its hold
and rose, but instantly pounced down
again, tearing away great strips of his
clothing, which it soon let drop to
pounce on him again. i
The blood was pouring down Hale's
face and he could hardly see; but
whenever he discerned the shadow of
the bird and felt the wind of its swoop,
he kicked upward and struck out with
the bush-hook. Cuts on the eagla's
legs and head show that some of these
desperate, random blows were effective.
Again and again the eagle fell upon
him. Had the male bird proved itself
as fierce fighter as its mate, neither
of the children could have escaped.
At length the eagle alighted on the
ground near by. It was much hurt
and could no longer keep the air; but
it still strutted unsteadily forward to
renew the attack. screaming vindic-
lively. Weak from the loss of blood,
Hale could with difficulty get to his
feet; but he used the corn cutter as
often as the bird approached within
reach. After this manner they fought
for half an hour, when the eagle beat
a retreat, itself hardly able to walk,
much less to fly away. The other bird
had flown back to the nest. ~ ~,
Calling Lois to him and taking her
hand, the lad now attempted to get up
and go home with her, but found that
he could not stand alone. Lois, who
was not SO badly hurt herself, was
at the terrible appearance
of her brother, and at the strange way
in which he kept falling down. She !
left him at length, and running all of
the way home, told mother that the
eagles had picked Hale's eyes out!-
for Lois thought that he was blind.
Mrs. Robbins rushed to the place
and found Hale sitting very soberly on
q stone, dreadful little object, not
blind indeed, but very weak and hard
ly able to move on account OF the
stiAening othis wounds. His mother
wos obliged to carry him much of the
way home. .--.
The doctor, who was sent for and
saw the boy late the following even.
ing, found it necessary in dressing his
wounds to take not less than thirty
stitches.
Mr.. Robbins, the father, found the
female eagle the next day, humping"
in fir thicket near the river; it was
too nearly dead to offer much resist.
ance.-Youth's Companion.