o'er-top-ping

XLII.

trudg-ing gipsy

HOP-PICKING.

1. Under my window, at six o'clock,
When all were asleep as sound as a rock,
Nothing awake but the stable cock,
Who crowed without stopping;
I heard a troop of the hoppers pass—
Child, old woman, and boy and lass—
Trudging over the long, wet grass,
All going a-hopping.

2. I know the hop garden, fresh and green, Where, month after month, the hops we've seen Climbing the tall poles, and between,

In beautiful wreaths down dropping. I know the gate, where if you'll stand, You'll see the hop-pickers in a band, Loud and merry, ragged and tann'd,

Spread over the fields a-hopping.

3. Who'll turn out of their early beds,

Put on old frocks, old hats on their heads,
And before the sun his hot beams sheds
The eastern hill o'er-topping,

Who'll come and spend the morning gay,

106

XLIII.

fu-ri-ous gath-er-ed stran-gle whir-ring

THE EAGLE'S NEST.—Part IX.

1. But the mother-eagle gathered all her strength together, and flew up again to Donald. Seizing his shoulders in her strong claws, she gave such a violent pull that, if he had been still upon the narrow ledge, the boy must have fallen.

2. But now he was on a safer place, and he turned and struck blow after blow with his axe at the bird, while she hovered above him, screaming, and trying to attack him with wings, and beak, and claws.

3. At last one stroke was better than all the rest; with one deep groan the bird sank, with a great wound in her breast, into the depths of the valley, never to rise again. Poor bird, she had done her best to save her little ones from the robber!

4. Now that the fight was over, Donald began to feel sorely tired. He lay down on the rock, closed his eyes, and lay quite still, to gain strength to go back along the rest of the dreadful way.

5. Then he rose, and went safely on, till he came to the last of the dangerous places. This was a narrow path along the side of a cliff. There was only room to put one foot before the other, and below was again a precipice, or rather a mass of sharp-pointed rocks, which it would be death to fall upon.

6. And here, when he could scarcely move, he heard again the whirring of great wings, and a cry more hoarse and loud than that of the mother-bird.

7. There was no doubt that the poor father had come back to find his ruined home. How could Donald defend himself in this place, where it was all he could do to walk along?

8. A piece of rock came rather more forward than the rest, and in this a sort of bush was firmly rooted. Clinging tightly to this bush with his left arm, Donald got his trusty axe in his right hand, and waited for the eagle's attack.

9. The great bird came swooping down, and settled on his shoulders, beating him about the face with its wings, and pecking wildly with its huge beak. It was well for Donald that the upper part of his leather bag partly saved him from being torn by these pecks.

H

10. As it was, he felt he could not long bear such an attack. He could not reach the bird with his axe, it was too close. He tried to catch it by the throat, and strangle it, but the eagle was too clever for him, and only pecked his hands.

11. Donald began to feel that he would be killed, as others had been killed before him, by the furious bird.

strug-gling

XLIV.

ma-na-ged

eas-i-ly

tra-vel-ler

THE EAGLE'S NEST.-Part X.

1. Donald's strength was fast failing; a mist swam before his eyes, he began to feel there was little use in struggling, when all at once he thought of his knife.

2. It was in his coat pocket, safe, but closed; he drew it out, and managed to open the strong blade with his teeth. With the little sharp blade in his hand, he was again a match for his He thrust at its breast once, twice, enemy. three times, and the last time he felt that he must have reached its heart, for the bird's blows ceased suddenly, and it loosened its hold upon