338 Sporting Sketches 



ened their movements and advanced rapidly for 

 some distance. They had reached the trail of corn, 

 and they crowded close bunched over the first scat- 

 tered grains. Once again my resolution wavered. 

 Hang it all ! it was just as easy to get four in line 

 a ball at short range would stiffen four of them easy 

 enough. I must have four. 



Step by step, yard by yard, they came on, ever 

 drawing nearer and nearer to the certain death that 

 waited to claim its four. Every once in a while 

 they would all bunch together, and as they did this 

 at a range of about one hundred yards my modesty 

 wavered again. 



Could it be possible to drive a ball through five 

 of them in line ? Such a record such a shot to 

 describe to the boys ! Five grand wild turkeys at 

 one lick! I was just fairly entertaining the five 

 notion, when an ominous click sounded along the 

 rails that mysterious click which announces the 

 coming of a train. 



" Click tuck click ! " There was no mistake. 

 It must be a freight, for no express was due at that 

 hour. 



" Click tuck-lick click ! " The mysterious 

 message had reached the turkeys' ears, too, and 

 they lifted their heads on high and stood motion- 

 less. I breathed hard at the change of luck, and 

 considered what I should do. My mind was almost 

 made up to shoot at once, for the rails were now 

 clicking merrily, when, like a saving clause, the 

 thought occurred to me that they heard trains pass- 

 ing many times every day, and probably would 

 merely retreat into the woods for a short distance 



