BIVOUAC STORY OF THE MOCCASINS. 209 



the poor animal's torments with a ball through his 

 brain, and plunged into the water to pull him out. 

 Now we had meat in plenty ; the skin and haunches 

 were hung up, the ribs roasted, and the dogs fed before 

 dark. 



We slept well all night, and were up early, but the 

 leaves were so dry that we found nothing but one 

 turkey, which Con well knocked over. However, the 

 sky began to get cloudy, and as we had meat for the 

 present, our hopes rose. It came on to blow from 

 the north, but we were protected by a bank of about 

 ten feet high, and though we could not sit close to it 

 on account of sharp stones, yet it kept off some of" 

 the cold wind, and a glorious fire soon made us for- 

 get it. 



Supper was over, and Conwell had taken off one of 

 his moccasins to take a stone out, when he said that it 

 reminded him of .something that had happened to him 

 a long time ago when he was a child. I was already 

 covered up in my blanket, but finding that he had a 

 mind to talk, I roused up, gave the fire a poke that 

 made the sparks fly, and leaning back, witli Bears- 

 grease for a pillow, who seemed well pleased with the 

 arrangement, I awaited the commencement of his nar- 

 rative. 



When I got up, Conwell stopped ; but now passing 

 his hand over his face, he began : 



" I was between five and six years old when my 

 father made my first pair of moccasins, for he wa^ a very 

 good shoemaker, and had always made strong shoes for 

 children, though he himself alwavs wore moccasins; 

 but, at my earnest, repeated request, he made a pair f'ov 



