228 THE GULF COAST OF FLORIDA. 



and cut out a bunch of feathers, but the bird went away. I 

 felt very sore over this loss, and hurried on toward camp. 



In a few minutes I saw another in a still taller tree. It 

 was now so dark I could not see the sights of my rifle at all, 

 so I turned down the rear sight, glanced along the barrel, 

 saw the large, dark body of my bird against the sky, pulled, 

 and was rewarded by seeing him tumble through the thick 

 branches to the ground. I was under the tree by the time he 

 reached the ground, and picking him up hurried on. In a 

 few minutes I saw another, this time a large gobbler, perched 

 high in the top of a tall tree. When I fired he started to fly 

 toward me, but by the time he got over me his strength 

 failed, and he fell within two feet of where I stood. I slipped 

 in another cartridge, took my bird, and started again. 



By this time the stars were shining, but I continued to 

 scan the tops of the trees closely. Presently I saw another 

 dark object against the sky, and knew from the shape that it 

 was a turkey. It was, perhaps, thirty-five yards from me. I 

 took the best aim I could, pulled and scored my third bird, 

 this time a fat young hen. 



What a magnificent hand ! Two kings and a queen ! For 

 the wild turkey is truly the king of birds. My blood bounded 

 through my veins as I contemplated my game. Three straight 

 birds, two in deep twilight and the third by starlight. Not a 

 bad score for a rifle, eh ? 



It was now so dark that my only means of finding my way 

 to camp was by following the bank of the river. It was light 

 enough close to the water to walk comfortably, but back in 

 the thicket it was so dark that an Indian could not see to get 

 through it. 



I succeeded in finding my wood ibis, and when I added 

 it to my already large bag, had a full load. It is about the 

 same size as the turkey. The four birds weighed over fifty 



