THE PINNATED GROUSE. 73 



rel of number one and the first barrel of number 

 two bellowing in its rear, along with another gun 

 or two from behind : and down it came. Each 

 one of the tenderfeet swore he killed it, and as 

 no one but the other tenderfoot disputed it both 

 were happy. 



A combined picnic and hunting-party is gen- 

 erally a heartless hoax. But years ago on these 

 grounds such things were a great success and 

 very common. Game enough for lunch and for 

 the whole party to divide in the evening, with a 

 goodly share to each, was an absolute certainty ; 

 and as a wagon could be driven anywhere over 

 the bluffs, the amount of work was trifling. As 

 we had birds enough for lunch, we stopped shoot- 

 ing for the middle of the day, as we could begin 

 again at four o'clock with a certainty of enough 

 birds to take home. 



Under a large oak that overlooked the broad 

 valley of the Mississippi we sat down to rest. 

 On every side the deep ravines that furrowed 

 these bluffs when the great glacier of the North 

 relaxed its grip were still robed in the hues of 

 summer, the whole a couch of green velvet on 

 which peace lay sleeping. At the bottom of a 



