236 BACKWOODSMEN'S SUPERSTITION. 



he continued, " that the savages did not notice the 

 whip-poor-will's untimely notes ; the bird is not usually 

 to be heard so late in the morning." 



" I guess that dizn't signify much," observed old Jake. 

 " Ef they hed obsarved the crittur's pipe, I reckin Gaul- 

 tier 'ud hev throwed one o' the varmints, an' I'd hev 

 tackled t'other 'n all the same." 



" The whip-poor-will," said Gaultier, " is supposed by 

 many to be a bird of ill omen. I know the settlers 

 say that if one of them perches on the wood pile, or 

 anywhere near the house, it portends the death of one 

 of the family very shortly. Those Indians, anyhow," 

 he continued laughing, "might have some reason for 

 regarding the creatures as of evil omen." 



" Wagh !" exclaimed Jake, " this coon don't bleeve 

 the leetle crittur purtends to be anything else than 

 what he seems to be. Man an' boy, I've been listenin' 

 to his pipin' these fifty years, an' I never got hurt or 

 harm by it, though I've often enuff seed a hull family 

 o' 'em, as I may say, rollin' 'emselves in the ash-heap 

 'ithin ten yards o' my old cabin-door. It's jest like 

 them settlers to fix a lie on the leetle varmint. Thur 

 allers tellin' lies, or cuttin' down the trees, or scarin' 

 away the game." 



" Pierre, have you any notes in your red book on this 

 interesting bird ? " asked Gaultier. 



The young hunter replied in the affirmative; and 

 while Jake prepared himself to enjoy a good " chaw " 

 of " James's River," the book was produced from among 



