e on
this journey; passing this plain country, we came to an open piece of
ground where a neighbouring gentleman had at a great expense laid out a
proper piece of land for a decoy, or duck-coy, as some call it. The
works were but newly done, the planting young, the ponds very large and
well made; but the proper places for shelter of the fowl not covered, the
trees not being grown, and men were still at work improving and enlarging
and planting on the adjoining heath or common. Near the decoy-keeper's
house were some places where young decoy ducks were hatched, or otherwise
kept to fit them for their work. To preserve them from vermin (polecats,
kites, and such like), they had set traps, as is usual in such cases, and
a gibbet by it, where abundance of such creatures as were taken were
hanged up for show.

While the decoy-man was busy showing the new works, he was alarmed with a
great cry about this house for "Help! help!" and away he ran like the
wind, guessing, as we supposed, that something was catched in the trap.

It was a good big boy, about thirteen or fourteen years old, that cried
out, for coming to the place he found a great fowl caught by the leg in
the trap, which yet was so strong and so outrageous that the boy going
too near him, he flew at him and frighted him, bit him, and beat him with
his wings, for he was too strong for the boy; as the master ran from the
decoy, so another manservant ran from the house, and finding a strange
creature fast in the trap, not knowing what it was, laid at him with a
great stick. The creature fought him a good while, but at length he
struck him an unlucky blow which quieted him; after this we all came up
to see what the matter, and found a monstrous eagle caught by the leg in
the trap, and killed by the fellow's cudgel, as above.

When the master came to know what it was, and that his man had killed it,
he was ready to kill the fellow for his pains, for it was a noble
creature indeed, and would have been worth a great deal to the man to
have it shown about the country, or to have sold to any gentleman curious
in such things; but the eagle was dead, and there we left it. It is
probable this eagle had flown over the sea from France, either there or
at the Isle of Wight, where the channel is not so wide; for we do not
find that any eagles are known to breed in those parts of Britain.

From hence we turned up to Dorchester, the county town, though not the
largest town in