ORDER ACCIPITRES. 193 



some rugged ascent, and enjoying the pleasure of a most 

 delightful climate, eating their dinner in the open air, with 

 several large dishes of boiled goat's flesh before them, this 

 enemy, as he turned out to be to them, suddenly appeared : 

 he did not stoop rapidly from a height, but came flying slowly 

 along the ground, and sat down close to the meat, within the 

 ring the . men had made round it. A great shout, or rather 

 cry of distress, called me to the place. I saw the eagle stand 

 for a minute, as if to recollect himself, while the servants ran 

 for their lances and shields. I walked up as nearly to him as 

 I had time to do. His attention was fixed on the flesh. I 

 saw him put his foot into the pan, where there was a large 

 piece in water prepared for boiling; but finding the smart 

 which he had not expected, he withdrew it, and forsook the 

 piece that he held. 



" There were two large pieces, a leg and shoulder, lying on 

 a wooden platter ; into these he thrust both his claws, and car- 

 ried them off"; but I thought he still looked wistfully at the 

 large piece which remained in the warm water. Away he went 

 slowly along the ground, as he had come. The face of the 

 cliff over which criminals are thrown took him from our sio-ht. 

 The Mahometans that drove the asses were much alarmed, 

 and assured me of his return. My servants, on the other 

 hand, very unwillingly expected him, and thought he had 

 already taken more than his share. 



" As I had myself a desire of more intimate acquaintance 

 with this bird, 1 loaded a rifle-gun with ball, and sat down 

 close to the platter, by the meat. It was not many minutes 

 before he came, and a prodigious shout was raised by my 

 attendants, ' He is coming, he is coming!' enough to have 

 dismayed a less courageous animal. Whether he was not 

 quite so hungry as at his first visit, or suspected somethino- 

 from my appearance, I know not ; but he made a short turn, 

 and sat down about ten yards from me, the pan with the meat 

 being between me and him. As the field was clear before me, 



