78 
WILD AMERICANS 
“Yes, sir, the eagle," Uncle Ely declared. “I don't 
mean that eagles attack grown sheep. But eagles do 
carry off many little lambs. Eagles fly around the 
mountain tops, where these wild sheep live. A baby 
lamb is a dainty bit for the eagle family to eat, so the 
big bird will swoop down, pick up the baby, and be 
gone with it. Of course, the mother sheep would 
fight, but the eagle appears unexpectedly, and quick" 
ly flies beyond her reach. All the mother ewe 
can do is to hide her lamb and guard it as best she 
can." 
Billy Buck took a deep breath, thrilled again at the 
true story of drama in the wilderness. Every time 
Uncle Ely took the children out in the fields or fon 
ests, it seemed, they learned new facts about conflict, 
danger, and excitement among Nature's wild crea" 
tures. Buck stared down the steep rocky slope where 
the bighorn family had fled a few minutes before. 
“I can't understand why they weren't all killed," 
he said. 
“Nor I," agreed Uncle Ely, “except that they are 
such expert climbers and jumpers. They have learned 
to be so by long years of training, because of the 
rough country where they live. There are several 
kinds of these wild sheep with the great circular 
