"Frank," began he, "has called his a `bird-adventure.' I might give
mine somewhat of the same title, for there was a bird mixed up with it--
the noblest of all birds--the eagle. But you shall hear it.
"On leaving the camp, I went, as you all know, up the valley. After
travelling for a quarter of a mile or so, I came upon a wide open
bottom, where there were some scattered willows and clumps of dwarf
birch-trees. As Luce had told me that such are the favourite food of
the American hare, or, as we call it in Louisiana, `rabbit,' I looked
out for the sign of one, and, sure enough, I soon came upon a track,
which I knew to be that of `puss.' It was fresh enough, and I followed
it. It kept me meandering about for a long while, till at last I saw
that it took a straight course for some thick brushwood, with two or
three low birches growing out of it. As I made sure of finding the game
there, I crept forward _very_ quietly, holding Marengo in the leash.
But the hare was not in the brush; and, after tramping all through it, I
again noticed the track where she had gone out on the opposite side. I
was about starting forth to follow it, when all at once an odd-looking
creature made its appearance right before me. It was that fellow
there!" And Basil pointed to the lynx. "I thought at first sight,"
continued he, "it was our Louisiana wild-cat or bay lynx, as Luce calls
it, for it is very like our cat; but I saw it was nearly twice as big,
and more greyish in the fur. Well, when I first sighted the creature,
it was about an hundred yards off. It hadn't seen me, though, for it
was not running away, but skulking along slowly--nearly crosswise to the
course of the hare's track--and looking in a different direction to that
in which I was. I was well screened behind the bushes, and that, no
doubt, prevented it from noticing me. At first I thought of running
forward, and setting Marengo after it. Then I determined on staying
where I was, and watching it a while. Perhaps it may come to a stop,
reflected I, and let me creep within shot. I remained, therefore,
crouching among the bushes, and kept the dog at my feet.
"As I continued to watch the cat, I saw that, instead of following a
straight line, it was moving in a circle!
"The diameter of this circle was not over an hundred yards; and in a
very short while the animal had got once round the circumference, and
came back to where I had first seen it. It did not stop there, but
continued on, though not in its old tracks. It still walked in a
circle, but a much smaller one than before. Both, however, had a common
centre; and, as I noticed that the animal kept its eyes constantly
turned towards the centre, I felt satisfied that in that place would be
found the cause of its strange manoeuvring. I looked to the centre. At
first I could see nothing--at least nothing that might be supposed to
attract the cat. There was a very small bush of willows, but they were
thin. I could see distinctly through them, and there was no creature
there, either in the bush or around it. The snow lay white up to the
roots of the willows, and I thought that a mouse could hardly have found
shelter among them, without my seeing it from where I stood. Still I
could not explain the odd actions of the lynx, upon any other principle
than that it was in the pursuit of game; and I looked again, and
carefully examined every inch of the ground as my eyes passed over it.
This time I discovered what the animal was after. Close in to the
willows appeared two little parallel streaks of a dark colour, just
rising above the surface of the snow. I should not have noticed them
had there not been two of them, and these slanting in the same
direction. They had caught my eyes before, but I had taken them for the
points of broken willows. I now saw that they were the ears of some
animal, and I thought that once or twice they moved slightly while I was
regarding them. After looking at them steadily for a time, I made out
the shape of a little head underneath. It was white, but there was a
round dark spot in the middle, which I knew to be an eye. There was no
body to be seen. That was under the snow, but it was plain enough that
what I saw was the head of a hare. At first I supposed it to be a Polar
hare--such as we had just killed--but the tracks I had followed were not
those of the Polar hare. Then I remembered that the `rabbit' of the
United States also turns white in the winter of the Northern regions.
This, then, must be the American rabbit, thought I.
"Of course my reflections did not occupy all the time I have taken in
describing them. Only a moment or so. All the while the lynx was
moving round and round the circle, but still getting nearer to the hare
that appeared eagerly to watch it. I remembered how Norman had
manoeuvred to get within shot of the Polar hare; and I now saw the very
same _ruse_ being practised by a dumb creature, that is supposed to have
no other guide than instinct. But I had seen the `bay lynx' of
Louisiana do some `dodges' as cunning as that,--such as claying his feet
to make the hounds lose the scent, and, after running backwards and
forwards upon a fallen log, leap into the tops of trees, and get off in
that way. Believing that his Northern cousin was just as artful as
himself," (here Basil looked significantly at the "Captain,") "I did not
so much wonder at the performance I now witnessed. Nevertheless, I felt
a great curiosity to see it out. But for this curiosity I could have
shot the lynx every time he passed me on the nearer edge of the circle.
Round and round he went, then, until he was not twenty feet from the
hare, that, strange to say, seemed to regard this the worst of her
enemies more with wonder than fear. The lynx at length stopped
suddenly, brought his four feet close together, arched his back like an
angry cat, and then with one immense bound, sprang forward upon his
victim. The hare had only time to leap out of her form, and the second
spring of the lynx brought him right upon the top of her. I could hear
the child-like scream which the American rabbit always utters when thus
seized; but the cloud of snow-spray raised above the spot prevented me
for a while from seeing either lynx or hare. The scream was stifled in
a moment, and when the snow-spray cleared off, I saw that the lynx held
the hare under his paws, and that `puss' was quite dead.
"I was considering how I might best steal up within shooting distance,
when, all at once, I heard another scream of a very different sort. At
the same time a dark shadow passed over the snow. I looked up, and
there, within fifty yards of the ground, a great big bird was wheeling
about. I knew it to be an eagle from its shape; and at first I fancied
it was a young one of the white-headed kind--for, as you are aware,
these do not have either the white head or tail until they are several
years old. Its immense size, however, showed that it could not be one
of these. It must be the great `_golden' eagle_ of the Rocky Mountains,
thought I.
"When I first noticed it, I fancied that it had been after the rabbit;
and, seeing the latter pounced upon by another preying creature, had
uttered its scream at being thus disappointed of its prey. I expected,
therefore, to see it fly off. To my astonishment it broke suddenly out
of the circles in which it had been so gracefully wheeling, and, with
another scream wilder than before, darted down towards the lynx!
"The latter, on hearing the first cry of the eagle, had started, dropped
his prey, and looked up. In the eagle he evidently recognised an
antagonist, for his back suddenly became arched, his fur bristled up,
his short tail moved quickly from side to side, and he stood with
glaring eyes, and claws ready to receive the attack.
"As the eagle came down, its legs and claws were thrown forward, and I
could then tell it was not a bald eagle, nor the great `Washington
eagle,' nor yet a fishing eagle of any sort, which both of these are.
The fishing eagles, as Lucien had told me, _have always naked legs_,
while those of the true eagles are more feathered. So were his, but
beyond the feathers I could see his great curved talons, as he struck
forward at the lynx. He evidently touched and wounded the animal, but
the wound only served to make it more angry; and I could hear it purring
and spitting like a tom-cat, only far louder. The eagle again mounted
back into the air, but soon wheeled round and shot down a second time.
This time the lynx sprang forward to meet it, and I could hear the
concussion of their bodies as they came together. I think the eagle
must have been crippled, so that it could not fly up again, for the
fight from that time was carried on upon the ground. The lynx seemed
anxious to grasp some part of his antagonist's body--and at times I
thought he had succeeded--but then he was beaten off again by the bird,
that fought furiously with wings, beak, and talons. The lynx now
appeared to be the attacking party, as I saw him repeatedly spring
forward at the eagle, while the latter always received him upon its
claws, lying with its back upon the snow. Both fur and feathers flew in
every direction, and sometimes the combatants were so covered with the
snow-spray that I could see neither of them.
"I watched the conflict for several minutes, until it occurred to me,
that my best time to get near enough for a shot was just while they were
in the thick of it, and not likely to heed me. I therefore moved
silently out of the bushes; and, keeping Marengo in the string, crept
forward. I had but the one bullet to give them, and with that I could
not shoot both; but I knew that the quadruped was eatable, and, as I was
not sure about the bird, I very easily made choice, and shot the lynx.
To my surprise the eagle did not fly _off_, and I now saw that one of
its wings was disabled! He was still strong enough, however, to scratch
Marengo severely before the latter could master him. As to the lynx, he
had been roughly handled. His skin was torn in several places, and one
of his eyes, as you see, regularly `gouged out.'"
Here Basil ended his narration; and after an interval, during which some
fresh wood was chopped and thrown upon the fire, Norman, in turn,
commenced relating what had befallen him.