84 Grouse. 



opposite side was a large patch of cotton-woods thickly 

 grown up with underbrush, the whole about half a mile 

 square. In this was the cowboy's shack, but as it was now 

 pitch dark I was unable to find it until I rode clean through 

 to the cow-corral, which was out in the open on the other 

 side. Here I dismounted, groped around till I found the 

 path, and then easily followed it to the shack. 



Rather to my annoyance the cowboy was away, having 

 run out of provisions, as I afterwards learned ; and of 

 course he had left nothing to eat behind him. The tough 

 little pony was, according to custom, turned loose to shift 

 for himself ; and I went into the low, windowless hut, 

 which was less than twelve feet square. In one end was 

 a great chimney-place, and it took but a short time to 

 start a roaring fire, which speedily made the hut warm 

 and comfortable. Then I went down to the river with an 

 axe and a pail, and got some water ; I had carried a paper 

 of tea in my pocket, and the tea-kettle was soon simmer- 

 ing away. I should have liked something to eat, but as I 

 did not have it, the hot tea did not prove such a bad 

 substitute for a cold and tired man. 



Next morning I sallied out at break of day with the 

 rifle, for I was pretty hungry. As soon as I stepped from 

 the hut I could hear the prairie fowl crowing and calling 

 to one another from the tall trees. There were many 

 score many hundreds would perhaps be more accurate 

 scattered through the wood. Evidently they had been 

 attracted by the good cover and by the thick growth of 

 choke-cherries and wild plums. As the dawn brightened 

 the sharp-tails kept up incessantly their hoarse clucking, 



