330 WITH THE U. S. NATURALISTS 



time. A^ain Tlecsa warded off the blow with his 

 stone flaker. Again he was badly hurt, but he 

 controlled himself from making any sound, only 

 opened the other side of his mouth, and the white 

 paint flowed out upon the rocks. His brothers, 

 watching below, said, 



*' *He is surely dead. See his brains!' 



*'Now Great Eagle thought he was dead, so he 

 laid him on a ledge of rocks near the nest. But 

 Tlecsa started up and hit Great Eagle with his 

 flaker. 



** Great Eagle rushed at him with his beak. No 

 living creature could endure a bite from that beak, 

 for it was as long as two fish-spears and when it 

 snapped together it was like the sound of a rock 

 plunging down a mountain. 



*' Tlecsa sprang over the beak and landed on the 

 back of Great Eagle. 



*'Up soared Great Eagle, up and up, but he 

 could not shake Tlecsa from his seat. Then 

 Tlecsa, leaning back, pulled out, one by one, the 

 tail feathers of Great Eagle, and the huge bird, no 

 longer able to steer his way, fell upon the rocks 

 wounded. So Tlecsa cut off his head with his 

 flaker. 



' ' Then he went back to the nest and tied one of 



