102 1ST FLOEIDA. 



" We won't need that, turkeys are too plenty, all 

 we shall have to do will be to keep our eyes open to 

 kill as many as we want. " 



In that happy state of confidence they departed. 

 We were anchored some little distance from the shore 

 on account of the shallowness of the water, but I 

 thought I heard several shots and wondered what 

 they had found to fire at, as the probability of their 

 killing a turkey was too slight to be worth consider- 

 ing. Early in the afternoon they returned with an 

 air of curious self gratulation in their behavior, the 

 manner of persons who had done an act on which 

 they plumed themselves, but which would bear a 

 good deal of concealment. This was noticeable even 

 before they had reached the yacht, and prepared me 

 in a measure for what followed the production of 

 a fine fat gobbler from the stern of the boat. Char- 

 ley handed it up to me with an air of deprecation 

 quite in contrast to the truculence with which Seth 

 climbed on deck and exclaimed : 



" There, what did I tell you, are you satisfied 

 now ? Where would the supplies come from to keep 

 us alive, except for me. You would have had us 

 down to hard tack and salt junk long ago, if it 

 hadn't been for the fish and birds I have had to kill." 

 Have you anything to say against that? " 



I was examining the turkey critically. I had 

 heard of turkey pens, and suspected that this came 

 from one of them, but did not see how to prove the 

 fact. Its head had been shot nearly off. 



" That is where the ball hit him, and I call it a 



