THROUGH WILD EUROPE 225 



come in but my two friends of the morning. 

 After delivering up their weapons, which were 

 hung up on the wall with the rest, they shared 

 our meal — for here anybody passing looks in for a 

 rest and something to eat as a matter of course— and 

 afterwards we all slept round the fire together. I 

 don't know if they were robbers or not, very probably 

 they were, for I knew that my hosts had been in 

 trouble recently for harbouring and assisting robbers. 

 But living as they do on the outskirts of the forests 

 they have to keep in with them for fear of losing 

 their own cattle, or perhaps having a bullet put into 

 them from behind a tree if they refuse hospitality 

 when it is demanded. At the same time, if it comes 

 to the ears of the authorities they are accused of 

 being accomplices and imprisoned until a sufficient 

 backsheesh is paid. Anyhow, the men, whether 

 robbers or not, were very civil, and one of them 

 accompanied me into the forest the following day, 

 and brought back my horse for my return in the 

 evening. 



There was another nest of Sea Eagle not far 

 away from the first, perhaps 300 yards, not more, 

 which also held two eggs, both addled. 



The number of addled eggs one finds in the 

 nests of the great Raptores has been, as far as my 

 experience goes, very large. I don't know how to 

 account for it, unless it is that these birds in the 



