Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1909-03-05
astisesllaneuus gsaains.
BATTLE IN MIDAlR.
Wyoming Man Has Thrilling Fight
With An Eagle.

Swinging ike d PShuuhuh ~
end of a two-hundred- d-and-ffty 100
rope against the side of five-hundred'
foot cliff, with jagged rocks far belo"
and nothing but one bare hand with
which to fight off the fierce onslaught
of an immense eagle whose nest ne
was attempting to rob-this was the
awful predicament in which Arthur
Williams, a young man Of Riverton
Wyo., found himself one day early In
June last year. With the welfare OF
her nestlings at stake, the great biro
attacked the despoiler Of her home
with inconceivable fury and only to
lucky chance does Williams owe his
life.
Riverton is a new town on that por-
ton of the Cheyenne and Arapahoe IN
dian reservation which was opened TO
settlement last year, and In the coun-
trv 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 set
tlement the fiockmasters were permit
ted to Craze their sheep over the coun-
try. and it gradually became known
among the sheepmen that over In Lost
Well canon there were pair Of eagles
who made a speciality of devouring
young lambs. Try as they might now
ever the shepherds were unable to get
a shot at either Of these great BIRDS
and for several years they were the
terrors of the district.
Hunters with their winchester RI
fles often lay in wait for the big birds,
hoping to get shot at them, but with
the proverbial keen eyesight of such
creatures, the eagles detected the nim-
rods 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 fiocks Of the sheep
men, and accordingly special effort
was made to exterminate them. 10
that effort Arthur Williams owes the
appalling adventure which befel him.
Williams and two friends made
trip out to Lost Well canon to invesu-
gate 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. At the
foot of the cliff directly under the cleft
was a pile Of bones-the remains OF
lambs thrown out of the nest by the
eagles after they had been picked
clean.
I'VE 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 noun
tain. A wide detour was necessary
but at last this was accomplished 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 des-
pondently. I'VE 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. u
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 map
ped out a scheme whereby they hoped
to get the young birds, and had brought
with them 75O feet 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 on the
floor of the canon.
Then the rope was hauled back and
tight loop made in one end. This was
thrown out over the edge Of the cliff
until it hung directly in front of the
eagles nest. The other end Of the rope
was hitched around a convenient tree
During all this time the men kept
close watch for the old eagles, but saw
nothing of them.
"Off hunting lambs, suppose" said
one Of the young fellows.
Then Williams stepped forward, laid
hold Of the rope and quickly disap-
peared over the side, sliding downward
using one leg, around which the line
was wrapped, as a brake to keep him.
self from going too fast.
Across his shoulders was slung q
stout bag in which he intended plac-
ing the little eagles when he secured
them. In one hand he carried stout
stick for use in an emergency; the 9TH
er hand grasped the rope.
Down, down he went until just ir
front of the eyrie. Then he slipped one
leg through the loop at the end of the
cord and turned to look into the darl
hole, where he could hear the eaglet:
talking"
Slowly he swung around, bracing hi:
foot against the rocky wall until M
faced the cleft and could give his at
tention to the nest.
Suddenly, screaming wildly will
rage and fright, out from the dark clef
came the old mother bird. Like stone
from a catapult she flung herself a
Williams's face.
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