The Conversion of Trapper Lewis 267 



thing out of the woods ! An' she ain't no good 

 fur anything bigger'n pa'tridge." 



However, old Lewis had been somewhat im- 

 pressed. He spoke of the grouse in the village, 

 and I heard that his comments upon the first 

 wing-shooting he had seen were quite favorable. 

 Still the longed-for comradeship did not arrive, 

 although the thin end of the needful wedge had 

 been inserted in the old fellow's cross-grained 

 notions. His final capitulation came about in this 

 wise : 



One day I felt lonesome, and decided that a tramp 

 along the railroad would be good medicine. I did 

 not expect to do much shooting, but pipe and gun 

 are always good company, so I took both with me. 

 As I was in a wild country, a couple of balls to fit 

 the gun and a charge of buckshot were in the 

 pocket of the shooting-coat. I knew that the 

 railroad ran through a burnt district famous for 

 pigeons and berries, and decided to go that far 

 and bag a bird or two, if nothing more. Before 

 I reached the "burn," I saw old Lewis, with rifle 

 on shoulder, emerge from some cover and cross the 

 track ahead of me. He was evidently trailing some- 

 thing, and in a moment he saw me and beckoned. 



When I reached him, he said "Look thar, 

 Canady ; what you think of that fur a track ? " 

 I saw an impression in the dust, and asked if it 

 was not bear sign. 



"Just so, Canady; 'tain't nuthin' else look 

 a-yonder where he crossed the creek." 



Sure enough, the moist sand bore unmistakable 

 imprints. 



