A Bold Capture.

Te Aroha News, Volume V, Issue 227, 5 November 1887, Page 2

A Bold Capture.

"Have you seen tho eagle 3 this morning ?" said Harry Recce. " No," answered his brother Tom, " but I have just seen Farmer Mackay. He has had another lamb stolen, and actually saw the old bird carrying it off. ,He is, terribly angry, and says if something is not done to put a stop to thi3 littlb game, he will lose every lamb he has got. I don't envy my lady eagle it she corner his way when he's carrying his gun." Harry and Tom Reeco, well-built boys of fifleen and seventeen respectively, were standing on the east shore of the Shetland mainland. It was no difficult matter to toll that they were Cockneys bred and born. They were, in fact, tho sons of the captain of a .steamer plying between London and the Shetland 1-les Availing themselves of the excellent opportunity winch their father's position afforded for making their way north, they wero now spending part at least of their midsummer holidays at the homo of their friend and schoolfellow, Androw MacCrewan. Shetland, or Zetland, ai everyone is aware, lies to tho noith-east of Scotland, between the Atlantic and the North Sea. It was anciently known as Hialtland, and is believed by some to be the Ultima Thule of the Romans. It has an area of 325 square miles, and is composed of thiee islands, tho largest of which id spoken of as tho mainland. Its surface is wild and often stevile, but the country 1, picturesque and beautiful. The chief town of Shetland lies on the eastern shore, 270 miles noibh of Edinburgh, and ia called Lerwick. Tho MacCrewans lived three or four miles above this point, on one of the most lonely parts of the coast. < The three lads had a \ery jolly time to-o-other, and pa&oed the greater por.ion of their days boating. An object of interest, in the shape of a pair of sea eagcls, had lately presented iUolf on a small island about half a mile from the mainland, and iyino- between Lerwick and Andrew's home. Nearly every day the lads pulled across to the island, and with the aid of a to^cone were able to discern the neat or these norbl birds in the face of the clift, winch osee some 350 feet above the level of the sea. To do this, however, they were compelled to stand on tho btowofan opposite cliff, between which and the eagle s nest lay a small and lovely bay or voe, but at such a distance that it was impossible to say whether there were any young b^ds in the evrio The depredations of the king of the feathered tribe, however, had become so frequent during the last week or ten days that those versed in such matters declared positivelythatthemothermusthavehatched her eegs. One or other of tho faimera misled a lamb each day, but the birds were wary, and nobody had been abe to get near enough to have a good shot at them. A^Tom Recce finished .peaking, Andrew MacCrewan ran up. He was a tall, hand some youth of seventeen whose bioad shoulders and poweriul limbs were the jresiilt of a life spent chiefly m the bracing climate of the north. . , " What did you say," he cried, "another lamb gone. I have just seen a funny thing My father's sow was let into the meadow a short time ago, and as I *as coming through there, I heaid one of the little pigs squealing as though someone was kmhng him. I looked to see what was the matter, but they were all feeding quietly enough, and the old sow was asleep with her nose in the ground. At la,t I glanced up, and lo my amazement theie was my lady eagle, hio-h'in the air, with oneof thefatlittlerapcals inlier claws. It was a queer sight. There she goes," he said, pointing across the water towards the island. " You know this is getting beyond a joke. She won't let_ a day pass without foraging on the mainland." ' ' , „ "Farmer Mackay told me yesterday, siid Harry, " that 'he would willingly pay anyone to kill the eiglets and destroy the nest. Then the old birds would desert this part of the coast perhaps." " Ay, but getting at the lies-. U the difficulty," paid Andiew. "You see, many a fellow might make his way down the face of the cliff, but I can't see how he's to get under the rock which overhangs the nest. Let us go across there now. It would be a rare bit of fun if we could do it ourselves. Of course, wo must not let my father and mother or anyone know what we are up to. But come on— we'll soon sec whether it is possible to get at it. If it if. I for one will make the attempt." Arrived on the island, after a stiff row, tho three lads immediately mounted to the top of the cliff, whence a view of the eagle's eyrie coulcl best be obtained, and carefully scanned its positkn with a telescope, which they had not forgotten to bring with them. Then they walked round to the top of the cliff, in the face of which the nest was built, and made a minute examina. tion of the spot. It was a giddy height, and when Tom gazed down upon the rocky beach ; so many hundred feet below, he eried — "Andrew, old boy, it would be madness to attempt it ; at least, it seems so to me at this moment. '' "I don't quite agree with you," MacCrewan replied, thoughtfully ; " I admit it is danger?™, but why couH -; we manage it as well &q cragsman *> I have climbed "many cliffs, though, of course, not so high as this." I "But, I say, Andy, old boy," put in Tom, "how would you get down the face of the cliff? You would have, as the sailora say, to hold on with your eyebrows, and when you were down, how would you get up? If nothing else happened, you would cut yourself to pieces, and perhaps not reach the nest after all." " Of course it would be necessary for me to have your help," Andrew went on, " and this is how it would have to be done ; we should drive a long stake, or, better still, a crowbar into tho earth, and with a good rope once or twice twisted round it, both of you could ease me over the edge, and so down the face of the crag. It seems to me very simple." "How low is the nest down?' asked Harry. " And there's another thing, too," he continued quickly, as though an insurmountable difficulty had occurred to him, "how about the old birds? If what I've read and been told about eagles is true they will be sure to show fight." " As for the depth," replied Andrew, with an air of quiet self-confidence, " that is about forty feet. And as for a fight -uith the old birds, why I should not be soft enough to attempt the exploit without a pistol, and I know who would lend me a pistol for a tip. I feel very keen about it noAV, and if you fellows will promise to help me, I will try what I can do to-morrow." Admiringhia pluck andresolution, though at first painfully doubtful as to what the issue might be, both his friends were yet in their hearts eager that he should venture on the undertaking. Its peril fascinated them, and after a short timo they declared their willingness to further his plans in every way. They then determined to make the attempt to attack the eagle's nest on the following morning, and at once pulled back to the mainland to prepare themselves for the exploit. Years ago " the stern eagle of the far north-west" niado Shetland its home.

Trapping and shooting, however, have rendej ed the noble bird almost as extinct there as the wolf, and it is only very rarely that a pair of themsottle forany length of time among the deserted sea-girt rocks of the northern isles. The period of this story is the autumn of 1880. Some three years previously two seaeagles suddenly appeared in the neigh bourhood, and took up their, abode on the small island which has been, referred to. But until this year they had not made the farmers uncomfortably aware o£ their presence. Their depredations now, however, became far more extensive and froquent than they had been dining; the preceding summers, and much indignation was felt throughout Shetland when it was found that every effort to keep them from theilocks had proved futile. A young cragsman had threatened more than once torob< the eagle's nest, but his threats had. as yet, come to nothing, and tew had urged him to. under. L ake the task, inasmuch as few believed it possible. It was, of course, absolutely necessary that tha three friends should keep their daring project; a profound secret. No one would have dieamt of allowing them to attempt what at heart the cragsmen shunned, and< it must bo confessed that the more the brotheis thought about it the more doubt they entertained a3 to its wisdom. Andrew MacCrewan, on the other hand, grew more confident as the idea became more familiar, and norhing would have disappointed him. po much as to be compelled to abandon itNor was his lcsolution hastily formed. Throughout the night he lay pondering doeply over every detail as it presented itselfto him. The thought of the glory of the achievement far outweighed any misgivings he might have had, and he longer) ior the morning to dawn which he fondly believed The sun had scircely been an hour above the horizon when the friends stood upon the beach by the side ot the boat. Andrew had in his belt a three-chambered revolver, which he had borrowed from a neighbouring farm ; in the boat was a basket destined, he hoped, to hold the caglet3. They had, too, a crowbar, a mallet, a spade, and many yards of stout rope, With hearts a? light as those of the guHs sporting near the water's euriace, the trio pulled off to the island. The scene was as impressive as it was wild and beautiful. The morning was calm and clear ; the eea glowed with the rays of the quickly rising sun ; the grass on the cliff top was moist with s-ilvevy dew, the waves rippled -with a gentle splash among the rocks on the beach below, and quiet reigned supreme everywhere. To drive the crowbar firmly into the earth was the work of a very few minutes. Andrew cautiously placed the pistol in his bolt, secured the basket over his thouldei'Sj and his friends adjusted the rope round his chest and under his armpits. Then, twisting it round the crowbar in a manner similar to that by which brewers lower their casks, the young hero stood upon the edge of the precipice. As he glanced on to the beach below a sense of real danger for the first time dawned upon him. It was but for an inst.mt, however ; he dkmis&ed it a? quickly as it came, and turning himself about, began his descent. At intervals, on the rugged and irregular face of the crag, weed?, small bushes, roots, and projecting pieces of rock enabled him to ease himself down and prevent the full -weight of his body from straining too heavily upon the rope, which was firmly held and gradually paid out by Harry and Tom. Inch by inch and foot by foot, down he. went. The lower he found himself, the more perilous his situation became. A sudden jerk, a flaw in the tope or a too hasty loosening of it as it passed through his companions' hands would have meant not only failure in his purpose, but a frightful death. In the event of its giving w ay, the meagre foot-and-hand hold -which the weeds afforded would have availed him nothing. He would have fallen, a mangled corpse, on to> the rocks at the base ot the cliff. Even a false movement in either himself or his, friends might have resulted in disaster. Of all this, however, he seemed utterly unconscious, and steadily lowered himself" till his foot touched the ledge overhangingthe nest. From the surveys of the spot which he had made, ho believed that if hemade his way below this piece of rock, he could manage to get into the eyrie. This indeed appearod the only possible means of reaching it, but when with immense difficulty he had so tar descended that his legs were hanging below the projection, he discovered to his dismay, that he was swinging; in mid-air fully five feet from the nest. He hesitated. What was he to do now ? The idea of his exploit ending simply as it began* was not to be entertained. Nevertheless,, ho did not at first see what else was to come: of it. For more than a minute he carefully examined the eyrie's position. Whilst doing so he caught a glimpse of an eaglet in the nest. This decided the question. He would get at the bird somehow, whatever might be the cost. Presently he called out to Harry and Tom to haul on to the rope and hoist him up a bit. When he was again on the top of the projecting rock, he proceeded to crawl a foot or two along it to where it narrowed inwards nearly even with the face of the crag. Once more lowering himsel* oV^ r at this noint, he be^nn orking \ is waya< by hands and feet and by mean 3 of niches in the cliff, under the ledge towards the nest. The task was as delicate as itr was difficult, but Ms patient and couragenever flagged. In time he got close to theeyrie, and then with one great effort, pulled? himself up' in it. It; was 'a 'Jong narrow opening and no high enough to allow of his'standing upright. An eaglet and an e^g were in the nest,As the bird— which apparently was afroufr a week old— caught sight of the intruder, i: buried its head in the soft down of its bed, and looked so snug and comfortable that at first young MacCrewan felt disinclined to disturb it. Remembering, however, that its capture was for the public good, he began untying his basket wirh the intention of seizing the fledgling and popping him into it, when he heard his friends shouting frantically from above. "Look out, Andrew !" they cried, " the old bird will be upon you. She is coming at a tremendous pace. " Throwing himself partially on his back the adventurous youngster drew his pistol. Quick though his movement was, he wasonly just in time. The enraged mother swooped angrily down towards the nest. The lad pulled the trigger, but the weapon missed fire ! Without a moment's delayhe pulled it again, and a sharp report reechoed among the neighbouring rocks and cliffs. As the smoke cleared away he saw that he had effectually scared the savage bird of prey. She had flown to some distance, and although whirling round and round the spot, she gave it a wide berth, and did not attempt to approach her enemy again. Still no time was to bo lost. Speedily lifting the young bird and the egg into the basket and securing it firmly, therefore, Andrew MacCrewan swung it once more over his shoulders. It was much heavier than ho had anticipated, and he found that it greatly interfered with the free play of his limbs. To crawl and scramble back by the aid of the niches in tho cliff face, and up over the projecting ledge was infinitely more dim-

cull now than when, encumbered only by the empty basket, he had made hia way towards the porilous place. It is probable that a spirit less stout than his, even though it might have been successful thus far, ■would here have failed, and the heart and head of a less courageous cragsman would have turned sick and giddy. The severe strain both of limbs and nerves told even on Andrew's iron frame, and by the time he was fairly on his way up the face of Hie cliff again, he had become consider lbly exhausted. Once he slipped and nothing but the sterling qualities of the rope could have saved him from destruction. During the whole of that trying climb lie kept a head as cool anl collected as it was before he commenced the exploit. Pluck alone carried it to a successful issue, and when at last his two friends grasped his hand and pulled him into safety, they gave a ringing cheer ot delight and admiration. A splended feat had been accomplished without niibhap. The threo boys vsorc not long in rowing back to the mainland \\ith their pii/:e. News of the affair spiead fast. Andiew became an hero, and for weeks after w aids his nmno was on everyone's lips. Some almost doubted whether he could really have done the deed. To testify their appreciation of his pluck and daring, a subscription was instantly started. With the proceeds a handsome silver cup was bought and presented to him as a t>mall recognition of the service he had rendered tho neighbourhood. On the testimonial, betides his own name, those of Hany and Tom Recce— without whose help he could never have lobbed the nest— were incidentally inset ibed. The eaglet was successfully reaied and is 6till h\ ing. The parent birds hovered for a time over the place of its captivity at Lsrwick. but finding till hopeb of its restoration vain, they eventually left Shetland and have not been seen thete since. Hany and Tom Kecee and Andrew MacCrewarj, now in their first manhood, oacli pay a periodical visit to the bird, which has grown to a niagniiicent and kingly size. It is an object of admiration and pride, and the story of it? bold capture is almost the i'u->h which the stranger to that part ot Shetland will hear.