144 A GOOD SHOT. 



Pierre slowly raised his rifle, and fixing his eye on 

 the line which seemed to divide the animal's head from 

 the tree trunk, he took a steady aim and fired. A 

 white mark showed out instantly at the exact spot, 

 and the squirrel losing his balance, apparently with the 

 shock, fell from the branch, and from bough to bough, 

 until finally it fell with a dull thud upon the earth. 

 The bullet had not injured the animal, although a small 

 patch of fur had been shot away from the side of its 

 head. 



This shot cannot be performed unless the squirrel is 

 actually in contact with the tree. The shock which 

 the tree receives on being struck by the bullet is com- 

 municated to the squirrel, which, under favourable 

 circumstances, is stunned and dislodged from its perch. 



The hunters continued their sport for some time 

 with varying success. Nearly a dozen squirrels had 

 been consigned to the capacious bag which old Jake 

 carried over his shoulder, when, on halting beneath 

 the branches of a large pine, a rustling among the top- 

 most boughs attracted their attention. It did not 

 seem to be occasioned by a squirrel, as that little 

 creature is so nimble and careful in its movements as 

 scarcely to rustle a twig. By a close scrutiny the 

 hunters distinguished a dark mass at the top of the 

 tree; but so uncertain were its outlines that they 

 could not determine what animal lay hidden there, nor 

 its probable size. 



After some hesitation it was resolved that one of the 



