AND OTHER HUNTING ADVENTURES. 137 



After supper, however, John dressed the bird and 

 laid it aside for breakfast, saying we would each 

 have a piece of it then. The rain ceased falling at 

 dark, and the stars came out, which greatly revived 

 our drooping spirits. We gathered large quantities 

 of dry wood and bark, so we w T ere able to keep a 

 good fire all night. 1 drew from a half -rotten log, a 

 flat, slab-like piece of pine, which at first I failed to 

 recognize. John saw it and said: 



u Good. Dat's beech." 



1 ' Beech, ' ' I said. ' ' Why, there' s no beech in this 

 country." 



"No, beech wood, make good fire, good kindle, 

 good what you call him? Good torch." 



"Oh," I said, "pitch pine, eh?" 



" Yas, beech pine." And this was as near as he 

 could get to pitch. 



About two o'clock in the morning, it commenced 

 to rain heavily again, and the poor Indians were soon 

 in a pitable condition, with their blankets and cloth- 

 ing wet through. They sat up the remainder of the 

 night, feeding the fire to keep it alive and them- 

 selves warm, for they had neither canvas or rubber 

 coats, or any other kind of waterproof clothing. 

 They put up some of the longer pieces of the bark we 

 had gathered for fuel, and made a passable shelter, 

 but it was so small, and leaked so badly, that it 

 was far from comfortable. I pitied the poor fel- 

 lows, but had nothing I could give or even share 

 with them for shelter. I got up at five o'clock, and 

 we commenced preparations for breakfast. I told 

 John he had better cook the grouse, but he shook 

 his head, and said sadly: 



