THE PINNATED GROUSE. 7 1 



with instructions to keep very cool and be sure 

 not to fire before he was ready. One stepped 

 ahead of Prince ; yet nothing moved but the dog, 

 and he moved only half a step and stared more 

 wildly than ever into the grass. The tenderfoot, 

 after scratching one ear, setting back his hat, 

 buttoning his coat, feeling of the gun-hammers, 

 clearing his right eye, and easing the tension of 

 his collar, took another step ahead of the dog. 

 Yet again nothing moved but the dog, and he 

 moved two steps ahead and stood over a- clump of 

 bluejoint, looking down into it with quivering 

 tail. The tenderfoot pulled up one sleeve of his 

 coat and shook a reef out of the other so as to 

 have his arms free for action, and, giving another 

 rub to his nose and another wipe at his eye, 

 pushed the grass aside with his foot. Out 

 hustled a big grouse almost from between the 

 fore legs of the dog. Prince could not resist the 

 temptation to snap at it, with the usual result of 

 being just three and a half inches too far behind. 

 At the sound of its wings another bird rose a few 

 feet farther on, followed by the one that Doc 

 was pointing. In the immediate rear of the first 

 bird tenderfoot number one exploded a mine of 



