A PACK OF PRAIRIE GROUSE. 329 



I thought it being for but one night, I would put up 

 with it. 



An immense joke was then had, and, if I recollect rightly, 

 it was with Tom or Wallace, and it was that in order 

 to deter the repetition of the sow's visits, I desired one of 

 my men to put a very small quantity of powder and shot 

 into his gun, just to tickle her. He however put so little 

 powder, that when he fired it had but strength enough to 

 throw forth the shot with no greater force than would 

 have been achieved if flung from a man's hand. The con 

 sequence of this abortive attempt was, that the sow abso 

 lutely ran back to where the shot fell short of her in the 

 grass, in the expectation that we might have thrown her 

 something to eat. We all passed a very restless night, 

 and, while I lay awake, when rosy-fingered morn first 

 tinged the eastern horizon with a delicate grey, it was 

 curious to hear from distant portions of the prairies the 

 low hollow crow of Cochin China cocks, proving that 

 though I had seen but one cabin, there must have been 

 many more in that apparently uninhabited region. 



On Monday, the 24th of October, we left Hickory Point 

 at a quarter past eight, and in and about the first corn 

 field we came to there was a pack of at least 300 grouse. 

 Observing them to settle among the corn-shocks, I took 

 Chance and Brutus, and Tom also with his gun, and 

 tried in vain to get near them. Having observed that 

 they flew in the direction of our march, and towards some 

 prairies where the grass was very thick, I determined on 

 going their line, ordering my ambulance to proceed some 

 way, and then to wait till I came up to it : and I soon 

 saw that, supposing we had shot half a day, I should com 

 pletely have outwalked my attendant. As it was, when 

 ever we came to any drinkable water, however bad, Tom 



