HO ON THE FRONTIER. 



and together we cautiously crept under the four roosting 

 turkeys. 



The light was very bad for rifle-shooting, but our front 

 sights were of ivory, and our birds were skyed ; so, drawing 

 the best beads we could, we fired simultaneously, and with 

 great success, two fine birds dropping dead at our feet the 

 others making off. 



We congratulated each other, and started for camp with 

 four fat turkeys and fat indeed they were, for they had 

 been feeding all autumn on walnuts, hickory nuts, grapes, 

 sweet acorns, and piiions, at or rather I suspect without 

 discretion. 



We had a long trudge home, the turkeys getting appa- 

 rently heavier every mile. As we tramped along, my 

 companion related his day's experience. About noon, he 

 had come upon the fresh tracks of some turkeys feeding 

 along one of the ridges, and had followed the birds until 

 within about three hours of sunset, when, on peeping into 

 an open glade, he saw fourteen of them scattered over it, 

 picking up seeds and strutting about. As the turkeys 

 seemed to be approaching him he lay quite still, watching 

 them through the thicket which concealed him. Ulti- 

 mately they got quite close, giving many fair opportunities 

 to shoot one. But he was determined not to fire unless 

 necessary, preferring to wait for an occasion to present 

 itself, enabling him to kill two at one shot a very rare 

 chance to obtain. He said it was most interesting to lie 

 there at his ease, and watch the motions and movements of 

 the birds as they fed about and spread themselves in 

 fancied security. At last his opportunity came, and firing 



