THE BLUE CRANE. 321 



ambulance with its little magazine of gunpowder. In 

 journeying on this day to the Indian settlements, as I 

 was seated in my waggon, my shot-gun loaded with 

 the common charge for feathered game as usual across 

 my knees, I saw in a little garden attached to a cabin 

 close to the track- way two great birds sitting perfectly 

 motionless, and of a bluish colour, shaped like the com 

 mon heron, but much larger. I got out of my waggon, 

 and exclaimed to my men that they must be tame birds, 

 and therefore I threw my gun into the hollow of my 

 arm, and was walking on, when up rose the birds, and 

 my men shouted, " Not tame they are wild ! " With 

 the first barrel of Pape's shot-gun I killed one, but at the 

 distance at which the other bird was, though the small shot 

 struck him, it failed in effect, so we only bagged one of 

 these large " blue cranes." The breast of this bird was 

 very fleshy, and when dressed, not bad to eat. The 

 crane and one prairie grouse was all that I bagged on 

 this day. 



A bed to sleep in being far preferable to a waggon, 

 and having heard from the officers' ladies at Fort Biley 

 that there was a very nice, clean, and attentive female 

 at Pottowadomy, who kept a lodging-house on the hill, I 

 resolved to send on my baggage waggon and camp (all 

 but my ambulance and dog-cart) to a place called Silver 

 Lake, a few miles beyond the Indian village, and think 

 ing, from the name of the water by which the men were 

 to encamp, there might be both fowl and fish, I desired 

 Mr Canterall to await my arrival at that spot, as, if I saw a 

 prospect of good sport of any sort, I might probably 

 remain there to enjoy it. These matters being arranged, 

 I paid a complimentary visit to the chief priest of the 



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