AN EAGLE COMBAT. 113 



other had to give in, and leave. I suppose it must be 

 that accordin' to nater, they go sometimes in pairs, else 

 the breed would run out, but I never saw two together 

 on terms anything like friendly. I mind, once, away 

 down at Tupper's Lake, old Pete Meigs and I was 

 layin' off under a grape-vine, that had crept up the 

 trunk of a great elm, and stretched its slender arms 

 out all among the branches, and spread its great round 

 leaves all over them, so that the sun couldn't pass 

 through, we saw one of them birds settin' on the limb 

 of a dry tree that leaned out over the lake. Presently 

 we saw a dark shadow glancing over the water, and 

 what should it be but another great eagle, making a 

 stoop at the one settin' on the limb. He missed his 

 aim, however, and round and round they went, driv- 

 ing and striking at each other, and screaming like 

 owls. Once in a while they'd come together in the 

 air, and, Squire, the way the feathers flew, was a 

 caution to see. They seemed to grow madder and 

 madder, till bye and by they had a regular clinch, and 

 I'm blamed if they did'nt both come down together 

 plump into the lake. This kind a cooled their fightin' 

 humor, and they got out as fast as they could. One 

 went back to his perch on the limb, and we saw blood 



