Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1912-09-12
OVER A PRECIpICE.
Nerve RaCking Experience of a
Hunter In the Tyrol.
between HEAVEN AND EARTH.

TO noo Soiooh Ga9ie . WA " -
Young and the Anxious Hours He
Spent Dangling In Terror In Mid Air.
An Englishman who was spending .
his vacation in the Tyrol learned that !
pair Of golden eagles were ravaging the |
valleys of poultry and small game and !
found that they had their aerie on a !
certain mountainside. Being OF an ad- !
venturous disposition be obtained the
services of several woodcutters and
started out before dawn determined to
capture the young eagle that was be-
lieved to be in the nest
When the party assembled the noun
tain and looked over the edge Of the
perpendicular cliff they could see
ledge about 100 feet below them. One
Of the party remained at the top while
the others lowered themselves to the
ledge by means OF rope.
Here they fastened Il fifty fathom
half inch rope to the stump Of tree.
fixed Il block OF wood against the edge
of the cliff for the rope to run over, fas-
tened an iron hook in 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 rife on his back. revolver
! in his pocket. big knife In his belt
and 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. II 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 he
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 eagiet. but
two.
One of them. not without lively
struggle. he put into the canvas bag he
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 q
vigorous puil that wrenched the pole
from his hands and sent him away
from the cliff at friGhtful pace. The
return swing was likely 10 dash him
against the rock with deadly force.
There was hut 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 n twitChing sen
sation in his back and loins.
Just then dark object flashed by
him. 1t passed in such close prox-
unity that the man felt the rush Of air
produced by IT'S fight. At first he sup
, posed it TO he a falling stone. hut pres
emily he perceived that instead Of being
drawn upward he was quite stationary
One hour passed. then two. and still
he 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 unit
the parent eagles should return anC
pluck out his eyes To add to his mis-
fortunes. n sharp thunderstorm came
on that wet him 10 the skin and nearly
blinded him with lightning
/ At last. when he had hung thus be
tween heaven and earth for more thar
three hours. he felt n ting upon thu
rope and in fifteen minutes was at thu
top with his two prizes.
Then he found that the falling oh
ject was the block ON which the rop'
had run. II had had TO he replaced
lest the rope should be cut by the sharl
edge Of the rock, and the long deia!
had been caused by the necessity o
sending the one man at the top dow
10 the base OF the mountain 10 cut
small tree and make second block