io6 Wilderness Ways. 



feet, sending his support of twigs and himself with 

 them out into the air together. 



He was afloat now, afloat on the blue air in spite of 

 himself, and flapped lustily for life. Over him, under 

 him, beside him hovered the mother on tireless wings, 

 calling softly that she was there. But the awful fear 

 of the depths and the lance tops of the spruces was 

 upon the little one ; his flapping grew more wild ; he 

 fell faster and faster. Suddenly — more in fright, it 

 seemed to me, than because he had spent his strength 

 — he lost his balance and tipped head downward in 

 the air. It was all over now, it seemed; he folded 

 his wings to be dashed in pieces among the trees. 

 Then like a flash the old mother-eagle shot under 

 him-; his despairing feet touched her broad shoulders, 

 between her wings. He righted himself, rested an 

 instant, found his head; then she dropped like a 

 shot from under him, leaving him to come down on 

 his own wings. A handful of feathers, torn out by 

 his claws, hovered slowly down after them. 



It was all the work of an instant before I lost them 

 among the trees far below. And when I found them 

 again with my glass, the eaglet was in the top of a 

 great pine, and the mother was feeding him. 



And then, standing there alone in the great wilder- 

 ness, it flashed upon me for the first time just what 



