WITH BEAK AND CLAW 35 



swiftly around the cedar with harsh cries of alarm. 

 Shan, startled at the sound, for he had thought 

 the Fish-Hawk far away over the waters of the 

 lake, made an incautious movement and his foot 

 slipped. 



Almost at the point of falling, he clung to the 

 tree with both arms. 



The Fish-Hawk, with that sure instinct of the 

 creatures of the wild which tells when an enemy 

 is defenseless, dropped to strike, but just as his 

 talons were near the boy, he swerved away, not 

 quite daring to make the attack. He soared up 

 again, and Shan, realizing that threat might turn 

 to action, shifted to another branch, only slightly 

 stronger than the one which had slipped under his 

 tread, and drew his knife from its sheath. 



Again the Fish-Hawk plunged, but the same in- 

 stinct which a moment before had told him that the 

 boy was defenseless, now warned him that the in- 

 truder was ready to give fight. As he shot past 

 the boy, he swerved only slightly, striking the lad 

 a sharp blow in the face with his wing. 



This was less like hunting than being hunted, 

 but Shan was not made of the stuff that gives in 

 easily. He had started to get those eggs and he 

 was going to get them. Finding that the Fish- 



