176 MY FIRST PRAIRIE GROUSE. 



sometimes suffers, and during my approach I saw Chance 

 gradually turn his head to be certain that I had seen him. 

 Arrived within fifty yards, I dismounted, and then the old 

 dog's ears, as well as the whole spirit within him, were 

 bent on the grass some twenty yards in front of him. Ob 

 serving the direction of his eyes, I walked on and bade 

 him do the same, when up rose a lovely bird, very simi 

 lar to the English grouse in flight and hue, but much 

 larger, and I fired, with only just time to know that the 

 bird had been struck, when I had to turn and fire on 

 others, that rose more to my right, one of which I killed 

 dead with the second barrel. While Chance sat down 

 delighted and anxiously watching Brutus, Brutus came 

 back with the first prairie grouse we had ever seen in 

 his mouth, and remained with it at my heels till I had 

 reloaded. This had happened in sight of my men, but 

 more so in the vicinity of the prairie hay-makers, one of 

 whom indicated with his hand the distant locality of the 

 first bird I had shot at, and which he had marked down. 

 Mounting my pony, and giving Chance the sign to bid 

 him range away so as to obtain the wind of the place in 

 dicated, I had the satisfaction to see him catch the taint 

 ed air and soon after come to a dead point, when, on 

 reaching him, Brutus and myself found the first bird that 

 I had shot at, lying dead. 



It was then becoming late in the day, and the grouse 

 were on their feed, and probably drawn off to some iso 

 lated corn-field around the nearest cabin. In my course 

 towards my waggons, however, which I could see had 

 halted near the trees before alluded to, I bagged in all 

 five prairie grouse, and on arriving at the head of Brush 

 Creek there I delivered them to the Boh-hoys, when, 

 having taken Chance to the little water-course among the 



