196 PEAIRIE AND FOREST. 



appears to have given him seemed to be thrown away, 

 for he drank more spirits, with more gusto, and that 

 without showing the effect, than any representative of 

 the genus I ever previously met. 



Arriving on the ground, we determined to hunt 

 Beau and Belle, and keep Jock and Fan for the after- 

 noon. Leaving our waggon hy the side of an Osage 

 orange hedge, separating the prairie from a large corn- 

 field, and, having inserted cartridges in each barrel, we 

 commenced work. The ground we intended first beat- 

 ing was rolling prairie, with a sufficiency of grass on it 

 to make the walking good, and the cover tolerable. 

 My companions and self stretched into line and started 

 with the wind in our faces. Before progressing a 

 hundred yards Belle set dead as a statue, and Beau 

 immediately backed. Steadily we walked up to the 

 dogs, expecting immediately to commence fire upon a 

 pack of grouse ; but what was our disappointment to 

 find that the dogs were standing to a covey of par- 

 tridge scarcely half grown ; so we let the young ones 

 go without molestation, and continued our range. 

 Our previous forbearance was soon rewarded, for a 

 hundred yards farther our setters again drew on game, 

 Beau now having the lead. Up we went, and, although 

 alongside the dogs, nothing showed. By coaxing they 

 advanced farther, and lay down. There was no mis- 

 take now; this indication I seldom knew to fail. 

 Short was the period of suspense, for up the grouse 

 commenced rising, not all together, but by twos and 

 threes. Each gun killed two birds at the first fire, 

 and not being delayed in loading, our dogs were soon 

 ordered to retrieve. Belle had not gone five paces 

 to perform this duty when she again stood, and 



