330 CHANCE AT THE PARTRIDGES. 



lay down to refresh himself, while I felt as cool as if I had 

 not gone a hundred yards. I obtained only one shot at 

 a single grouse, and then got into my waggon. A little 

 later in the day, while we passed through a wooded creek, 

 a covey of partridges rose and pitched in the brushwood 

 on the side of a hill. On this, with Chance, I went after 

 them, attended by George and Tom with a gun. They had 

 a shot or two, taking turn about at the partridges, but 

 neither of them got a bird. I killed one, and having 

 marked the covey down again, Chance came to where 

 they were, and behaved beautifully. There was very little, 

 or indeed no scent, the cover dusty and dry, and the day 

 intensely hot, and the setter ran into the midst of the 

 covey before he was aware of them, and springing two 

 birds dropped at once on the ground. The partridges that 

 rose, not knowing what Chance was, immediately perched 

 in a low tree over his head, and peered down at him as if 

 he was a vermin. On this, being well within shot, I kill 

 ed first one, and then the other, dropping them from the 

 boughs right on Chance's head ; but he, knowing that 

 there were others in the grass close to him, never stirred. 

 The covey subsequently rose, and I got a brace more, 

 and then rejoined the waggons. 



At a little before three in the afternoon we reached a 

 pretty little creek, with a nice stream, of water in it, in 

 which were a good many small fish, about two miles from 

 the town of Achinson, on the Missouri river, and there 

 pitched camp for the night. I had not been long arrived 

 at the camping-place when a settler joined me, from 

 whose cabin I obtained corn, and excellent butter, milk, 

 and eggs, and received the information that horse-theft 

 was rife to any amount in that vicinity, and that only a 

 few days before, in broad day, a horse, bridled and 



