9 The eagles’ nest
　　The children picked their way over the big, overgrown courtyard. It was an absolute wildernessnow, though with a little imagination they could picture what it must have been like in the olddays – a vast stone-paved place, hewn out of the hillside itself, with craggy pieces towering up atthe far ends.
　　‘It’s in one of those craggy places that I think the eagles have got their nest,’ said Jack¹, as theypicked their way across the hot courtyard. ‘Tassie, take Kiki for me, will you, and hang on to her. Idon’t want her interfering² just now.’
　　Tassie proudly took Kiki, and stood still whilst the others went towards a towering piece ofrock, clothed here and there with heather, that rose up at one end of the courtyard. Lucy-Anndidn’t particularly want to go too near to the eagles, but she wanted to be with Jack.
　　‘You girls stay down at the bottom of this crag,’ said Jack. ‘I’m going to climb up with Philip. Idon’t think the eagles will attack us, Philip, in fact I’m pretty sure they won’t; but look out, incase.’
　　The boys were just beginning to climb when a loud, yelping³ scream made them stop and clutchat one another in fright. The girls jumped violently. Button ran into the nearest rabbit-hole andstayed there. Only Kiki did not seem to be frightened.
　　Into Tassie’s mind jumped the thought that the scream must be from one of the wicked man’spoor prisoners! Perhaps he wasn’t dead, perhaps he was still there somewhere. The other childrenwere not so foolish as to think things like this, but the scream certainly made their blood run cold!
　　‘What was it, Jack?’ whispered Lucy-Ann. ‘Come back. Don’t go up there. The scream camefrom there.’
　　It came again, more loudly – a curious, almost yelping noise. Kiki cleared her throat to imitateit. What a fine noise to copy!
　　She gave a remarkably⁵ good imitation of the scream and made everyone jump again. Tassiealmost fell over, for Kiki was on her shoulder.
　　‘Bad bird! Naughty bird!’ said Jack fiercely, in a low voice. Kiki looked at him. From her throatcame the scream again – and almost at the same moment a great eagle, which must have beensomewhere on the rocky crag, rose up in the air on enormous wings, and soared over the littlecompany, looking down in

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