THE WILD TURKEY. 45 



to a blind, and saw a man, gun in hand, standing up in 

 full view behind it. lie wore a most rueful counte- 

 nance, and when my cicerone advanced and cordially 

 shook hands with him, lie did not seem to have feeling 

 enough to perform even that simple act of courtesy in 

 an earnest manner. After I had been introduced to him, 

 my comrade asked him if he had not been "fooled" 

 nicely, and he replied that he had, and was sorely dis- 

 appointed at the result of such splendid gobbling. 



"No man in the country but you could a-done it," 

 said he, in a little more animated tone; "and it is a con- 

 solation to know that I'm not the first one you played 

 your durned old trick on." 



"Oh! never mind the trick now," exclaimed my com- 

 panion; ''so don't look as if you had lost your mother- 

 in-law. Have you killed anything?" 



"No." 



"Then we must get something, if its only a powt. 

 Let's try to rout a flock, for I see you have your dog with 

 you." 



This proposition proving acceptable, we started through 

 the woods and set the dog to work. He seemed to be a 

 cross between a hound and a spaniel, as he displayed 

 some of the distinct markings of both breeds; but what- 

 ever he was he knew his business, for he carefully quar- 

 tered the ground, using both his eyes and nose in the 

 most admirable manner. After working for fifteen min- 

 utes, he struck the hot trail of a feeding flock, and 

 dashed away from us. We followed as fast as we could, 

 and soon heard the sharp put, put, the whirring rush of 

 many wings, and the vigorous bark of the dog, to an- 

 nounce that he had flushed the quarry. We ran a few 

 hundred yards further, and on reaching a glade we 

 built a blind in a very short time, by entwining the 

 bushes, and breaking them down where we thought 

 necessary. When this was ready, we entered, and the 



