Kidnapped By An Eagle
Eagles are amazing predators.
With eyesight 4-times better than a human’s and the ability to dive out of the sky at speeds of over 120km/hr, an eagle is able to spot the smallest creature and grab it before anyone knows what’s happening.
That’s exactly what transpired in Gaultois, NL in the 1880s, when an eagle set it’s eyes on a baby but, thanks to a determined mother, the story has a happy ending.
Just Two Minutes
It was too hot in the kitchen; the baby was crying again.
The young mother couldn’t blame her, the heat was oppressive. There was little to be done about it, really. Warm weather or not, bread still needed to be baked if the little family was going to eat.
Outside it was better.
Gaultois, NL, Circa 2000.
The sky was clear and Gaultois harbour seemed to sparkle in the morning sun. It must be a beautiful morning on the water, she thought.
On days like these she envied her husband, he could escape the heat and fish in the gentle breeze of Hermitage Bay.
Even if she couldn’t go out on the water, she still need to to find reprieve. With her bread in the oven, her escape was going to be the small patch of grass, just outside the door, in the shade of the house.
She placed the baby in a basket, and found the perfect spot, not far from a patch of wild roses.
She sat next to the basket.
It was unusually quiet. In the nice morning weather everyone seemed to be busy, In the distance she could hear the chatter and laughter of women making fish. When the baby was a little older she’d join them again, she thought but, for now, she had her hands full.
The baby didn’t sleep much, especially when it was hot, but here in the shade, the baby had quickly fallen asleep. She didn’t want to wake her, she seemed so peaceful, she didn’t want the moment to end.
There was, however, bread in the oven and the bread wasn’t going to wait.
She stood up and reached for the basket, but stopped.
She only needed to take the bread out of the oven. It would only take two minutes, and she’d only be a few footsteps away. Surely, she thought, the baby would be fine for two minutes.
She’d leave the baby here to sleep, while she ran back to the kitchen.
Inside the house, she worked as quickly as she could.
When she was just about finished, she heard something. She didn’t know what it was, but instinctively she knew something was wrong.
She ran through the door, down the steps and onto the grass.
The baby’s basket had been flipped over, and just above the roses was an eagle, in it’s talons it held her baby.
The eagle was flapping its powerful wings. It seemed to hover as it worked to gain height.
She lunged for the baby, but it was too late; the eagle was already out of reach.
Kidnapped By An Eagle
The eagle gained speed, flying above the houses, trees and cliffs, carrying the helpless baby with it.
Governed by instinct alone, the young mother set out in pursuit. She didn’t have time to make a plan, she knew if she wanted to see her baby again, she had to act now.
Eagles always roosted in the same place, she thought, and she knew where that was.
Up hills and over rocks, she scrambled. She clambered along the shoreline, wading through the salty water until the eagle’s aerie came into sight. It was at the top of a steep cliff.
Without thinking, she began her ascent.
It was an arduous climb but foothold-after-foothold seemed to appear, just where she needed them. Higher and higher she went until, she could hear crying. It was the sound of her baby.
Unbelievably, the aerie was within reach.
Where was the eagle? She had no idea. On the cliff face, she’d lost sight of the creature. She couldn’t worry about it — if the eagle attacked her, she’d just have to fight it off.
With one arm gripping the rock, she thrust her other hand toward her baby. She made contact, and pulled the child to her.
There was no sign of the bird.
She tucked the baby under her arm and began her descent. If the climb up had been difficult, descending with a child in her arms was nearly impossible. Every few steps she seemed to get stuck. She could grab the rock and, whatever path she was on, there seemed to be no place to put her feet.
Then it happened; she slipped. There was no hope of holding on.
Falling backward, the cliff seemed to disappear. She clung to the baby and closed her eyes.
A Miraculous Rescue
She felt the ocean surround her.
The water that had looked so beautiful from her kitchen window, took her breath away with its cold. When she resurfaced, the crying baby was still in her arms.
Even if she could swim and hold the child at the same time, there was nowhere to go, she was surrounded by sheer cliff face.
It didn’t seem fair.
She couldn’t have chased an eagle, climbed a cliff, and pulled her baby from an aerie only to have them drown on the way home.
She was going to have to swim for the closest cliff, and try to climb her way to safety. It was the only thing to do.
Then, out of nowhere, came a voice. A fisherman from nearby Hermitage had seen her fall, and was close enough to help her. He brought his boat to them, and pulled both mother and child aboard.
They were cold, wet and in shock, but they were alive.
It was nothing short of a miracle.
Strange Truth or Tall Tale?
This story is based on a short description of the event published in the Daily News in 1954. I have no idea if it really happened, or how much of it might be true.
I have no trouble believing an eagle could take a small baby, and I think a parent would do just about whatever she could to save her child but I don’t know if the event ever transpired as recounted in the Daily News.
If you know more about the incident, I’d love to hear about it.
The comments are always open.
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Early History of Newman and Company, Daily News, July 6, 1954
Note: The details in the original telling of this story are few. It didn’t mention the sex of the child, the name of the mother, or too many details surrounding the ‘abduction.’ I’ve filled in some of the blanks with my own invention but, the central details of the story are as shared in the source article.
Gaultois, Encyclopedia of Newfoundland and Labrador
Bald Eagles, Fisheries, Forestry and Agriculture, Gov. of NL.
