The Bamberg herald. [volume] (Bamberg, S.C.) 1891-1972, 1909-03-18
BATTLE IN MIDAIR.
Man Has Thrilling Fight
With an Eagle.

Swinging like a pendulum at the
end of Northumberland -h1ty-foot
roUe against the side OF a fve-hun-
dred-foot cliff, with jagged rocks tar
below and nothing but one bare
land with which to fight OFF the
nerce onslaught of an immense eagle
whose nest he was attempting to rob
this was the awful predicament in
which Arthur Williams, a young man
o. ttiverton, Wyo., found himself one
day early in June last year. With the
welfare OF her nestnnss at stake, the
great bird attacked the ueSpoller OF
her home with inconceivable fury
and only to a lucky chance does Will
liams owe his life.
Riverton is new town on that
portion of the Cheyenne and Arapa-
hoe Indian reservation which was
opened to settlement last year, and
in the country thereabouts mountain
lions, timber wolves, coyotes, eagles,
bears, etc., are still to be found.
Before the Indian reservation was
formally opened to the whites for
settlement the fockmasters were per-
mitted 10 Craze their sheep over the
country, and it gradually became
known among the sheepmen that
over in Lost Well canon there were
a pair of eagles who made specially
of devouring young lambs. Try as
they might, however, the shepherds
were unable to get shot at either OF
these great birds, and for several
years they were the terrors OF the
district.
Hunters with their Winchester RI
fes often lay in wait for the big
birds, hoping to get shot at them,
but with the proverbial keen eye
sight of such creatures, the eagles
detected the nimrods and never came
within gunshot when the nest was
being watched.
During the spring Of 1908 the two
old eagles were more successful than
ever in raiding the focks of the
sheepmen, and accordingly special
effort was made to exterminate them.
To that effort Arthur Williams owes
the appalling adventure which befell
him.
Williams and two friends made a
trip out to Lost Well canon to lnves-
tigate the chances Of trapping the
eagles in their nest. A ride Of eight
miles over rough mountain trails
brought them to the canon, half way
up the perpendicular side of which
they saw the horizontal cleft in
which the wise old birds had built
their nest. Al the foot of the cliff
directly under the cleft was pile OF
bones-the remains of lambs thrown
out of the nest by the eagles after
they had been picked clean.
1--WE amt any nearer that nest
down here than when we were at
home" remarked Williams to his
comrades. Nothing but a balloon
or an airship can help us from down
here. Let us go up to the top Of the
cliff and see what we can do from
there"
For two hours the three young
men struggled to reach the top of the
mountain. A wide detour was neces-
sary, but at last this was accom-
plished and they stood on the brink
of the cliff, half way down which
the eagles nest had been built.
There's nothing to be done from
here, either" said one of the men
despondently. 1--WE might just as
well go back home; we shall never
reach that nest"
While the men stood and talked
from far down below them there rose
the shrill piping cry of young birds
Young ones!" said Williams. -"
wish We could get them alive; they
would be worth money to u.s."
mo use to bother; you'll have to
take it out in wishing" said the
third member of the party. "Come
on, let's go home"
"All right. I'll go home now, but
I'm coming back tomorrow after
those birds,' said Williams.
The next day found the three
young men back at the cliff. They
had mapped out scheme whereby
they hoped to get the young birds
and had brought with them $50 feel
Of stout rope, far more than enough
to reach from the top of the cliff
down to the bottom of the canon
To make quite sure of this, however
they first lowered the rope weighted
with a stone down the face of the
rock and saw that while there YET
remained a big coil at their feet the
weighted end of the rope rested or
the floor of the canon.
Then the rope was hauled bach
and a tight loop made in one end
This was thrown out over the edge
of the cliff until it hung directly iI
front of the eagles nest. The othe1
end of the rope was hitched around
convenient tree.
During all this time the men KEEP
close watch for the old eagles, bu1
saw nothing Of them.
"Off hunting lambs, I suppose,
said one of the young fellows.
Then Williams stepped, forward
laid hold of the rope and quickl!
disappeared over the side, sliding
downward, using one leg, aroun(
which the line was wrapped, as {
brake to keep himself from goins
too fast.