The Press., 1912-10-23
OLYRAPIAN GAMES OVER A PRECIPICE.
Nerve Hacking Experience of a
 Hunter In the TyroI.
BETWEEN HEAVEN AND EARTH.

Porils the Daring AdVenturer BraVed
 to Rob a Golden Eagles NSst 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 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 he obtained the services of several woodcutters and started out before dawn determined to capture the young eagle that was be-
 ieved to be in the nest.
 When the party ascended 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 q fifty fathom half inch rope to the stump of tree, fixed a 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 a rife on his back, a 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. 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 ently 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 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 hack and loins.
 Just then a dark object flashed by him. It passed in such close prox- unity that the man felt the rush of air produced by its flight. At first he SUD- posed it 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 he hung motionless at the end of the rop He could of course form no idea of what had happened. The strange finally got upon his nerves, He imagined that he had been aban- 1oned and must swing there till he lost his hold and fell to his death or until me parent eagles should return and pluck out his eyes. To add to his mis- 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 tug upon the rope and in fifteen minutes was at the top with his two prizes.
 Then he found that the falling ob ect was the block on which the rope had run It had had to be replaced. est the rope should be cut by the sharp ,dge of the rock. and the long delay lad been caused by the necessity of sending the one man at the top down o the base of the mountain to cut a small tree and make a second block