42 THE FALL OF THE YEAR 



For the moment I had forgotten where I stood ; 

 and, in dodging the eagle, I almost stepped over the 

 edge of the nest. I caught my balance and dropped 

 quickly to my knees, completely unnerved. 



Fear like a panic took instant hold on me. Only 

 one desire possessed me to get down. I crept to 

 the edge and looked over. The sight made me dizzy. 

 Sixty feet of almost empty air! Far down, a few 

 small limbs intervened between me and the ground. 

 But there was nothing by which to descend. 



I was dismayed ; and my expression, my posture 

 something, betrayed my confusion to the eagles. 

 They immediately lost all dread of me. While I was 

 looking over, one of them struck me a stinging blow 

 on the head, knocking my cap off into the air. 



That started me. I must climb down or be knocked 

 over. If only I had continued with my channel to 

 the top ! If only that forked branch by which I as- 

 cended were within reach! But how could I back 

 over the flaring rim to my whole length and swing 

 my body under against the in ward -slanting nest 

 until my feet could touch the fork? But if I ever got 

 down, that was what I must do ; for the eagles gave 

 me no chance to cut a channel now. 



Laying the eggs back for the time in the hollow, 

 I began tearing away the rim of the nest in order to 

 clear a place over which to back down. 



I was momentarily in danger of being hurled off 

 by the birds ; for I could not watch them and work, 



