The Young Voyageurs: Boy Hunters in the North
Page 36
CHAPTER THIRTY SIX.
THE HARE, THE LYNX, AND THE GOLDEN EAGLE.
"Frank," began he, "has called his a `bird-adventure.' I might givemine somewhat of the same title, for there was a bird mixed up with it--the noblest of all birds--the eagle. But you shall hear it.
"On leaving the camp, I went, as you all know, up the valley. Aftertravelling for a quarter of a mile or so, I came upon a wide openbottom, where there were some scattered willows and clumps of dwarfbirch-trees. As Luce had told me that such are the favourite food ofthe American hare, or, as we call it in Louisiana, `rabbit,' I lookedout for the sign of one, and, sure enough, I soon came upon a track,which I knew to be that of `puss.' It was fresh enough, and I followedit. It kept me meandering about for a long while, till at last I sawthat it took a straight course for some thick brushwood, with two orthree low birches growing out of it. As I made sure of finding the gamethere, I crept forward _very_ quietly, holding Marengo in the leash.But the hare was not in the brush; and, after tramping all through it, Iagain noticed the track where she had gone out on the opposite side. Iwas about starting forth to follow it, when all at once an odd-lookingcreature made its appearance right before me. It was that fellowthere!" And Basil pointed to the lynx. "I thought at first sight,"continued he, "it was our Louisiana wild-cat or bay lynx, as Luce callsit, for it is very like our cat; but I saw it was nearly twice as big,and more greyish in the fur. Well, when I first sighted the creature,it was about an hundred yards off. It hadn't seen me, though, for itwas not running away, but skulking along slowly--nearly crosswise to thecourse of the hare's track--and looking in a different direction to thatin which I was. I was well screened behind the bushes, and that, nodoubt, prevented it from noticing me. At first I thought of runningforward, and setting Marengo after it. Then I determined on stayingwhere I was, and watching it a while. Perhaps it may come to a stop,reflected I, and let me creep within shot. I remained, therefore,crouching among the bushes, and kept the dog at my feet.
"As I continued to watch the cat, I saw that, instead of following astraight line, it was moving in a circle!
"The diameter of this circle was not over an hundred yards; and in avery short while the animal had got once round the circumference, andcame back to where I had first seen it. It did not stop there, butcontinued on, though not in its old tracks. It still walked in acircle, but a much smaller one than before. Both, however, had a commoncentre; and, as I noticed that the animal kept its eyes constantlyturned towards the centre, I felt satisfied that in that place would befound the cause of its strange manoeuvring. I looked to the centre. Atfirst I could see nothing--at least nothing that might be supposed toattract the cat. There was a very small bush of willows, but they werethin. I could see distinctly through them, and there was no creaturethere, either in the bush or around it. The snow lay white up to theroots of the willows, and I thought that a mouse could hardly have foundshelter among them, without my seeing it from where I stood. Still Icould not explain the odd actions of the lynx, upon any other principlethan that it was in the pursuit of game; and I looked again, andcarefully examined every inch of the ground as my eyes passed over it.This time I discovered what the animal was after. Close in to thewillows appeared two little parallel streaks of a dark colour, justrising above the surface of the snow. I should not have noticed themhad there not been two of them, and these slanting in the samedirection. They had caught my eyes before, but I had taken them for thepoints of broken willows. I now saw that they were the ears of someanimal, and I thought that once or twice they moved slightly while I wasregarding them. After looking at them steadily for a time, I made outthe shape of a little head underneath. It was white, but there was around dark spot in the middle, which I knew to be an eye. There was nobody to be seen. That was under the snow, but it was plain enough thatwhat I saw was the head of a hare. At first I supposed it to be a Polarhare--such as we had just killed--but the tracks I had followed were notthose of the Polar hare. Then I remembered that the `rabbit' of theUnited States also turns white in the winter of the Northern regions.This, then, must be the American rabbit, thought I.
"Of course my reflections did not occupy all the time I have taken indescribing them. Only a moment or so. All the while the lynx wasmoving round and round the circle, but still getting nearer to the harethat appeared eagerly to watch it. I remembered how Norman hadmanoeuvred to get within shot of the Polar hare; and I now saw the verysame _ruse_ being practised by a dumb creature, that is supposed to haveno other guide than instinct. But I had seen the `bay lynx' ofLouisiana do some `dodges' as cunning as that,--such as claying his feetto make the hounds lose the scent, and, after running backwards andforwards upon a fallen log, leap into the tops of trees, and get off inthat way. Believing that his Northern cousin was just as artful ashimself," (here Basil looked significantly at the "Captain,") "I did notso much wonder at the performance I now witnessed. Nevertheless, I felta great curiosity to see it out. But for this curiosity I could haveshot the lynx every time he passed me on the nearer edge of the circle.Round and round he went, then, until he was not twenty feet from thehare, that, strange to say, seemed to regard this the worst of herenemies more with wonder than fear. The lynx at length stoppedsuddenly, brought his four feet close together, arched his back like anangry cat, and then with one immense bound, sprang forward upon hisvictim. The hare had only time to leap out of her form, and the secondspring of the lynx brought him right upon the top of her. I could hearthe child-like scream which the American rabbit always utters when thusseized; but the cloud of snow-spray raised above the spot prevented mefor a while from seeing either lynx or hare. The scream was stifled ina moment, and when the snow-spray cleared off, I saw that the lynx heldthe hare under his paws, and that `puss' was quite dead.
"I was considering how I might best steal up within shooting distance,when, all at once, I heard another scream of a very different sort. Atthe same time a dark shadow passed over the snow. I looked up, andthere, within fifty yards of the ground, a great big bird was wheelingabout. I knew it to be an eagle from its shape; and at first I fanciedit was a young one of the white-headed kind--for, as you are aware,these do not have either the white head or tail until they are severalyears old. Its immense size, however, showed that it could not be oneof these. It must be the great `_golden' eagle_ of the Rocky Mountains,thought I.
"When I first noticed it, I fancied that it had been after the rabbit;and, seeing the latter pounced upon by another preying creature, haduttered its scream at being thus disappointed of its prey. I expected,therefore, to see it fly off. To my astonishment it broke suddenly outof the circles in which it had been so gracefully wheeling, and, withanother scream wilder than before, darted down towards the lynx!
"The latter, on hearing the first cry of the eagle, had started, droppedhis prey, and looked up. In the eagle he evidently recognised anantagonist, for his back suddenly became arched, his fur bristled up,his short tail moved quickly from side to side, and he stood withglaring eyes, and claws ready to receive the attack.
"As the eagle came down, its legs and claws were thrown forward, and Icould then tell it was not a bald eagle, nor the great `Washingtoneagle,' nor yet a fishing eagle of any sort, which both of these are.The fishing eagles, as Lucien had told me, _have always naked legs_,while those of the true eagles are more feathered. So were his, butbeyond the feathers I could see his great curved talons, as he struckforward at the lynx. He evidently touched and wounded the animal, butthe wound only served to make it more angry; and I could hear it purringand spitting like a tom-cat, only far louder. The eagle again mountedback into the air, but soon wheeled round and shot down a second time.This time the lynx sprang forward to meet it, and I could hear theconcussion of their bodies as they came together. I think the eaglemust have been crippled, so that it could not fly up again, for thefight from that time was carried on upon the ground. The lynx seemedanxious to grasp some part of his antagon
ist's body--and at times Ithought he had succeeded--but then he was beaten off again by the bird,that fought furiously with wings, beak, and talons. The lynx nowappeared to be the attacking party, as I saw him repeatedly springforward at the eagle, while the latter always received him upon itsclaws, lying with its back upon the snow. Both fur and feathers flew inevery direction, and sometimes the combatants were so covered with thesnow-spray that I could see neither of them.
"I watched the conflict for several minutes, until it occurred to me,that my best time to get near enough for a shot was just while they werein the thick of it, and not likely to heed me. I therefore movedsilently out of the bushes; and, keeping Marengo in the string, creptforward. I had but the one bullet to give them, and with that I couldnot shoot both; but I knew that the quadruped was eatable, and, as I wasnot sure about the bird, I very easily made choice, and shot the lynx.To my surprise the eagle did not fly _off_, and I now saw that one ofits wings was disabled! He was still strong enough, however, to scratchMarengo severely before the latter could master him. As to the lynx, hehad been roughly handled. His skin was torn in several places, and oneof his eyes, as you see, regularly `gouged out.'"
Here Basil ended his narration; and after an interval, during which somefresh wood was chopped and thrown upon the fire, Norman, in turn,commenced relating what had befallen him.