318 AMERICAN" GAME BIRD SHOOTING. 



Off it came, as a matter of course, so that lie had no 

 covering on his shoulders but a flannel shirt. 



" All together, and with a will! " said one of the party. 

 '^ No mercy!" 



The culprit's back was then pressed and rubbed against 

 the tree as hard as we could do it, and though he bore 

 the punishment with the fortitude of a martyr, I was 

 scarcely able to breathe, with laughter, and was so weak 

 tbat I fear I did not afford much assistance in punishing 

 him. They kept at him until they must have rubbed 

 the skin nearly off, and then let him go, after giving him 

 a sound lecture on the misfortune he bad brought upon 

 the party by missing the first bird. He received the 

 reprimand in silence, and, having seized his gun, re- 

 sumed work as calmly as if nothing had happened. I 

 was so delighted at having escaped tbe punishment I de- 

 served that I laughed until I was weary. This seemed 

 to arouse his suspicion, for he eyed me mistrustfully sev- 

 eral times, and finally blurted out: 



'' Gol durn me if I don't think you fired at a bird 

 and missed it. If I thought you did, I'd help to give 

 you such a scratching that you'd think you were ten 

 thousand Scotchmen rolled into one. I'd teach you what 

 it is to have the feeling of being branded witli a red hot 

 iron." I pooh-poohed the idea of missing, but I did not, 

 evidently, dispel his doubts, as he reiterated his suspicion, 

 and also complained of a burning sensation in his back, 

 as if the skin had been rubbed off. When we had walked 

 about half a mile, one of the party suggested that we 

 form into two groups and beat the ground carefully, one 

 keeping to the leeward of tlie bottoms and the other to 

 the windward. Wo accordingly separated, the scratched 

 individual and myself going together. We chose the 

 windward side, as we knew that the two pointers which 

 -formed our kennel would work up Avind and drive all the 

 birds out on our side, and therefore give us the best 



