194 FOREST CREATURES. 



one else ; and, thinking of my wife and thirteen children, 

 I turned it over in my mind whether it would not be 

 better to go back. Meanwhile it occurred to me that 

 as long as the upper part of the ladder did not pro- 

 ject more outwards, it would, by reason of its own per- 

 pendicular weight, bear the weight of my body hanging 

 backwards without toppling over. Trusting therefore 

 to this, I now began to mount, my body hanging down 

 and away from the ladder, which as the men after- 

 wards told me, was a really fearful sight. I now was 

 at that part of the ladder where it leaned against 

 the straggling branches of the eyrie, and had ten or 

 twelve rounds still above me. I discovered that the 

 eyrie instead of being two feet high, as we had supposed 

 when viewing it from below, was composed of branches 

 which had been accumulated by the eagles for years, 

 and was nearly eight feet in height. The ladder was, 

 therefore, about eight feet too short, in order to enable 

 a person to step off it into the nest. What was to be 

 done ? To turn back was not at all to my taste, and 

 the hope to be able at least to look into the eyrie, 

 carried the day. 



With all heed I mounted higher ; putting my hands 

 through the ladder and holding on by the branches of 

 the eyrie, and with my feet pressing the ladder as closely 

 as possible against it. I had now the last round of the 

 ladder in my hand, but there was still five feet to the 



