WILD TURKEY AND DEER SHOOTING. 241 



The thing to be most apprehensive about then 

 is a thunder-storm. 



I was once caught in one in the middle of 

 the night, early in the fall, on the Delavan 

 Prairie, which is in Logan County, sixteen miles 

 from Elkhart. The unbroken prairie was then 

 eight or ten miles in extent. In fact, there was 

 no cultivated land on it, except near the strips 

 of timber by which it was bounded. I went 

 out in a buggy, and alone, to shoot pinnated 

 grouse in the evening, and though I meant to 

 stay on the prairie all night, and shoot again 

 in the morning, I took no tent. A blanket to 

 lay on the ground under the buggy, and another 

 to cover .me, were deemed sufficient. 



I shot until dark over two good dogs, and 

 had fine sport. I then drove to a part of the 

 prairie where men had been cutting grass for 

 fodder, and left it in cocks, and pulled up there 

 for the night. I tied the horse to the wheel, gave 

 him a feed of corn in the bottom of the buggy, 

 Avatered him, and tossed him clown a lot of the 

 new-made prairie-hay. The scent of it pervaded 

 the air of the space all around, and was very 

 sweet and grateful. I got my own cold supper, 

 and, lying down under the buggy with the dogs 



