Catching the Eagle by Karen Charlton

Author:Karen Charlton [Charlton, Karen]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Famelton Publishing
Published: 2014-07-01T23:00:00+00:00

Back in the woods outside Milburn, young Jack Charlton had an idea.

First, he found a long, slender branch. Then he lifted his shirt and started to undo the string which held up his breeches. He knew from his reading that the rich folks who kept birds of prey in their big houses put leather hoods over the creature’s eyes to calm them. Well, he had no leather hood but he reckoned he might be able to slip his breeches over the eagle’s head with the help of the long stick.

‘You’d better be good,’ he said softly to the bird as he stepped out of his trousers. ‘Ma’ll kill me if you rip them.’

Cautiously, he circled round to the back of the bird but this gave him no advantage. The eagle merely swivelled its head and watched him with his cold, unblinking, golden eyes. Sighing, Jack decided to risk it anyway. Dropping to his haunches, he reached out with his stick. He kept his hand as steady as he could and slowly inched the dangling breeches towards the raptor’s head.

Unbelievably, it worked. The eagle allowed the ragged trousers to be dropped over its head and then just sat there, silent and still.

Now Jack moved swiftly. Within seconds he was beside the creature – so close he could smell its earthy smell, hear its breathing and feel the warmth of its feathered body next to his own. He pulled with all his strength to open the jaws of the trap. It groaned in protest but opened up a fraction of an inch. Pouring with sweat at the exertion, Jack struggled to hold the lethal device open. The eagle remained silent and still.

‘Move you daft bugger,’ the boy hissed between his teeth. He nudged the mass of silky plumage with his shoulder.

Instantly, the subdued eagle came back to life and jerked its talons free. It half hopped, half stumbled away.

Now Jack was able to release his grip. The trap sprang back shut with a resounding clang which sent every roosting bird in the copse screeching into the sky. Alarmed at the noise, the great bird now struggled to free itself from the child’s clothing and take flight. Shaking its head, it snatched at the garment with its claw in a frenzy. It unfurled its great wings and whipped Jack smartly across the face as the lad scrambled frantically out of the way. As he dived behind a tree, Jack managed to snatch the dangling leg of his breeches and pull them off the raptor’s head.

The great bird was finally free. It paused for a second, blinking in the sunlight and looked straight at the boy, its golden eyes now blazing with fire.

Jack stared back. ‘Now gan and set me Da free,’ he said. ‘You lucky bird.’

The next second, the eagle leapt into the air and wheeled upwards into the tree canopy on its stiff wings.

It was damaged and starving but alive and free.

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