162 THE ADIRONDACK. 



a moment. I stood rebuked, not only by my own 

 feelings, but by the Indian with me. I was shocked 

 that this hunter who had lived so many years on the 

 spoils of the forest, should teach me tenderness of 

 feeling. That mother's voice found an echo in his 

 heart, and he would not harm one feather of her 

 plumage ; nor could the bribe be named that would 

 then have induced me to strike the anxious affec- 

 tionate creature. As I saw her thus sacrificing her- 

 self to save her young, provoking the death-shot in 

 order to draw attention from them, I wondered how I 

 could for a single moment have wished to destroy her. 

 I leaned over the boat and watched her movements for 

 nearly half a mile. She would keep just ahead of us, 

 sailing backwards and forwards, now striking her 

 wings on the water, as if strufirsflinsf with all her 



*— ' ' i_sO CD 



strength to fly, yet unable to rise ; and now screaming 

 out as if distressed to death at her perilous position ; 

 yet cunningly moving off in the meantime, so as to 

 allure us after, in order to increase the distance be- 

 tween us and her offspring. While we were near the 

 nest, she swam almost under our bow ; but as we 

 continued to advance she grew more timorous, as if 

 beginning to think a little more of herself. I conld 



