The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1912-09-16
over A PREclPlcE.
Nerve Racking Experience of a
Hunter In the TyroI.
BETWEEN HEAVEN AND EARTH,

Psrils the Daring Advsntursr 6ravsd
to Rob Golden Eagles Nest Of Its
Young and tho Anxious Hours He
Spent Dangling In Terror In Mid Air.
An Englishman who was spending
his vacation in the Tyrol learned that a
pair OF golden eagles were ravaging the
valleys of poultry and small game and
found that they had their aerie on
certain mountainside Being Of an ad
venturous disposition he obtained the
services Of several woodcutters and
starred out before dawn determined to
capture the young eagle that was be
lieved to be In the nest
When the party asc0ded the noun
tain aud looked over The e6ge of the
perpendicular cliff they could see
ledge about 100 feet below them One
Of the party remained mt the top while
the others lowered themselves To the
ledge BY means Of u rope.
Here they fastened fifty fathom
half inch rope to the stump Of tree.
fixed block of wood against the edge
of the cliff for the rope to run over. fas-
tened an Iron hook 10 the crevice of the
rocks and prepared to lower the Eng
lishman TO the aerie. which they could
now see far below.
A stout leather belt was fastened
round his waist, with an iron ring in
front. through which the rope passed
To the end of the rope strong piece
of wood was knotted. and the English
man seated himself astride it.
With rifle on bis back, revolver
In his pocket. big knife In his belt
and a long pole IN his hands he was
ready to start. Five men took hold Of
the rope. while two others lay fat upon
the rocks. rifles In hand. looking over
the edge of the cliff. IL the old birds
should attack the intruder his life
would probably depend upon those two
rifles.
The descent lasted ten or fifteen min
utes Then the Englishman found him.
self opposite the eagles ledge. He
jerked the signal line. He was ten
or twelve feet from the ledge. but with
the hooked end Of his long pole lie
was able to draw himself In and pres
emily was gazing cautiously over the
edge Of the nest which. to his sur
prise. contained not one eaglet, but
two
One of them, not without a lively
etr,,rrIa ha mt into tho rapvaa no O. ho
had brought for the purpose. The
other he finally managed to secure by
running a moose over its feet he tied
the bag to the signal cord. arranged
himself upon his wooden seat, took the
second bird In his left hand and gave
the signal. The men on the ledge
above. contrary to Instructions. gave a
vigorous pull that wrenched the pole
from his hands and sent him away
from the cliff at frightful pace. The
return swing was likely to dash him
against the rock with deadly force.
There was but one thing to do. and
the Englishman had the presence of
mind to do It. He tilted the upper part
Of his body backward and his legs for
ward and struck the rock with his feet.
with no worse result than a paralyzed
feeling in his legs and twitching SEN
sation In his back and loins.
Just then a dark object dashed by
him. 1t passed in such close prox-
unity that the man felt the rush Of air
produced by its flight At first he sup
posed 1t to be falling stone. but pres
entity he perceived that instead of being
drawn upward he was quite stationary
One hour passed. then two. and still
be hung motionless at the end Of the
rop. He could Of course form no idea
of what had happened The strange
situation finally got upon his nerves.
He imagined that he had been aban
doned and must swing there till he lost
his hold and fell to his death or until
the parent eagles should return and
pluck out his eyes To add to his mis-
fortunes. a sharp thunderstorm came
on that wet him to the skin and nearly
blinded him with lightning.
At last. when he had hung thus he
tween heaven aud earth for more than
three hours. he felt tug upon the
rope and IN fifteen minutes was at the
top with his two prizes.
Then he found that the falling Oh
ject was the block IN which the rope
had run. II had had to be replaced.
lest the rope should be cut by the sharp
edge OF the rock. and the long delay
had been caused by the necessity OF
sending the one man at the top down
to the base Of the mountain to cut a
small tree and make a second block