St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1912-12-25
OVER A PRECIPICE.
Nerve Racking Experience Of a
Hunter In the Tyrol.
BETWEEN nEAvEN AND EARTH.

PsriIs the Daring Adventurer 5raved
20 Rob a Golden Eagles Nest of It's
Young and the Anxious Hours He
Spent Dangling In Terror In Mid Air
An EngIishman who was spending
his vacation in the TyroI learned that
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 adj
venturous disposition be obtained the
services of several woodcuuers 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 a
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 a rope.
Here they fastened a fifty fathom
half inch rope to the stump Of tree.
fixed a block of wood against the edge
of the liff for the rope to run over. fas-
tened an iron hook in the crevice of the
rocks and prepared to lower the Eng
hshman 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 n strong piece
OF wood was knotted. and the English
man seated himself astride it,
With rifle on his back, a revolver
in his pocket. big knife in his belt
and a long pole in his hands be 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 elf. If 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 eaglet. but
| two.
One. Of them. not without a 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 I'm 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 mt frightful pace. The
return swing was likely 70 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 1t 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 a twitching SEN
satiOn i'm his back and loins
Just then a dark object flashed by
him. Ii passed in such close prOx-
unity that the man felt the rush Of air
produced by its flight At first he sup
posed ii to be falling stone. but 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 until |
the parent eagles should return and
pluck Out his eyes. To add TO his mis- !
4 fortunes, sharp thunderstorm came
on that wet him to the skin and nearly |
blinded him with lightning.
/ At last. when he had hung thus be- !
tween heaven and earth for more than |
three hours. he felt a rug upon the
/ rope and In fifteen minutes was at the
top with his two prizes.
| Then he found that the falling OBJ |
ject was the block on 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 second block.
A NOVEL PROCEDURE