LETTER VIII. 



99 



Naturally, we tossed as to whether they should 

 dine with me or I with them, and agreed to draw 

 for choice of beats day by day. 



That night old S. and ' the boy ' were in 

 great form. The Scotchmen had only got Indians 

 to look after them ; the old gunner would show 

 them how things were done in a white man's 

 camp. 



Charlie (the boy) had had a successful day's 

 sport amongst the rabbits and grouse, our 

 neighbours, who shared the little clump of trees 

 in which we lived. Like the son of Jesse, he 

 used only pebbles from the brook ; but the stupid 

 jack rabbits which he tracked in the snow sat 

 still until he hit them ; and the ' fool hens,' as 

 they call the big grouse here, are more stupid 

 than the rabbits. I well remember one fool 

 hen, who stolidly sat out a bombardment of at 

 least half an hour, on one of the top branches of 

 a pine, until Mr. W., my Indian, and myself had 

 used up all the stones we could find in a radius 

 of 200 yards. We hit her twice before the 

 Indian brought her down, but though the bough 

 on which she sat was struck scores of times, she 

 would not fly. On another occasion, I remember 

 pursuing one of these birds amongst the pine- 

 woods with a stick When I threw it she flew, 



and of course I missed ; but at last she allowed 



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