70 THE GROUSE OF MAPLE RUN. 



brier cover. Ordinarily we did not beat this covr r, as it was 

 not only terribly thick, but the briers were fearful. But we 

 were after this bird, "with all that this implies," and did 

 not stop to count the cost ; bu' , after taking a few moments' 

 rest, and eating our lunch, boldly faced the music, and 

 were soon forcirjg our way through the tangled mass. The 

 dogs soon found her trail and commenced roading, and for 

 more than au hour we followed this goblin bird before we 

 could force her to rise, which she finally did quite unex- 

 pectedly close by Tom, and just as he had stooped and was 

 forcing his way through a particularly bad bunch of briers. 

 He gamely struggled to an upright position and delivered his 

 fire, but could not tell whether botk eyes were open or shut ; 

 as, when he commenced to straighten up, a brier caught him 

 just under his right eye, and plowed a ghastly furrow across 

 hi3 face, and half cut off the lower portion of his ear. When 

 I j ined him I could not forbear saying : 



"First blood for the spectre." 



A grim smile lit up one side of his face— the other side 

 was covered with gore, and I was doubtful if he greeted my 

 pleasantry with more than half a smile. As our bird had 

 flown straight for the mouth of the rocky gully, we soon 

 came to water, and after binding up our wounded as well as 

 we could, we once more " returned to the charge." Toiling 

 up the steep and 3lippery ascent, we flushed her from be- 

 hind a rock, which she kept between her and us until well 

 out of shot. Thinking that she would keep on as far as the 

 hazel gully, we made a detour to avoid the terrible ascent, 

 and skirted the edge until we came to the old mill, when, 

 each taking a side of the pond and beating the fringe cf wil- 

 lows, came together at the Ik ad of the pond. We hunted 

 up the hazel gully, and over a large portion of alder cover, 

 bringing to bag several grouse and woodcock, but saw no 

 sign of our especial friend. On our return, we met a man 

 who said that he had just started a white partridge from the 

 wheel-pit of the old mill, and it had gone down the run. Al- 

 though nearly night, with one accord, and without a word, 

 we b:th wheeled and headed down the gorge. V/hen near 



