“THE LAST AMERICAN”? 307 
on the ground. Three explosions jarred the 
silent air. One eaglet fell back into the nest, one 
crashed over the edge into the eagle tree and fell, 
bouncing from limb to limb, till it hit the ground 
with a thud. The mother, falling also, flapped 
screaming with one broken wing, caught at a 
limb with her talons, could not hold her weight, 
and likewise fell to the ground. The men sprang 
forward. She half raised her proud head, her 
yellow eyes ablaze, and made ready for a last 
stand, but a blow came down on her white fore- 
head, and she crumpled in a heap. 
** Get her out of sight,” said one of the men. 
“We'll wait for the other one now.” 
They dragged the mother and the little eagle 
which lay on the ground in under the hemlock 
with them, and waited a long time. But Baldy 
was coursing a stream far away, and did 
not return. An hour, two hours, went by, and 
still they did not see him coming. One of them 
grew impatient and lit a pipe. Another did the 
same. But now Baldy was in sight of the nest, 
though he was three miles away and almost a 
thousand feet up. He looked down for his 
