WILD HUNTING COMPANIONS 181 



away. The partridges no longer crowed and 

 chuckled. Some of them flew away south. 

 The others turned white; you can see them now 

 very far north, but in the south only on the 

 mountains. Then the loon began to laugh, for 

 he was very glad and proud. He laughed louder 

 and louder; you can hear him now on the lakes. 

 But the spirit was very angry because the loon 

 had called him. He began to blow on the lake 

 and he began to blow on the loon. The lake be 

 gan to freeze and the loon began to dive, longer 

 and longer. But his wings began to grow smaller. 

 So with great difficulty, before his wings were 

 too small, he rose and his wings beat very rapidly 

 and he flew away south. That is why winter 

 came and why the loon dives so well and does 

 not fly if he can help it. 



In the cane-brakes on both sides of the lower 

 Mississippi I have hunted bear in company 

 with the hard-riding, straight-shooting planters 

 of the country lying behind the levees and a 

 gamer, more open-handedly hospitable set of 

 men can nowhere be found. What would, 

 abroad, be called the hunt servants were all 

 negroes from the Black Belt, in which we were 

 doing our hunting. These negroes of the Black 

 Belt have never had the opportunity to develop 

 beyond a low cultural stage. Most of those 



