TEE GROUSE OF MAPLE RUN. 69 



her several rods in the open lot a few feet from tin wall. I 

 was in the cover opposite them, and was suddenly startled by 

 aloud cry of "mark" from Tom, accompanied by a few 

 forcible words, expressive of his disgust. I heard no rise 

 and went over to htm to see what it all meant, when 

 he expLined that the bird had ri?en some twenty rods away 

 withoui making the slightest nri?e, and flown down en the 

 outside as far as he couM see. We were both of us beginning 

 to get interested, and followed on in pretty good order, con- 

 sidering that we had been ou f generaled at every turn. Tbe 

 dogs, after considerable work, found her trail in the open 

 lot, aid followed it some distance, when we saw her rise a 

 long way ahead ; and swing to the left for a birch knoll that 

 I have already described as leading up to a scrub oak and 

 brier cover. She was not near enough for me to see very 

 distinctly, but I could readily see that ste was of a very 

 light color. Sanding Tom ahead to cut her off, should she 

 attempt to make for the briers, I took the dogs and beat up 

 tbc knoll, and soon had a beautiful point from Start that was 

 handsomely backed by Stop. I knew by the ea^er way old 

 Start's jaws were quivering that the bird was close by, and, 

 stepping in ahead of him, was disgusted at seeing nothing 

 but an ordinary grouse fljunder up and make off; but as the 

 lulling passion was ever strong, I pocketed my chagrin, and 

 drawing a bead on him, brought him down. At the report 

 of the gun our one-eyed friend rose twenty rods away, and 

 knowing that it was sure death to attempt the briers, flew 

 across the open meadows and went for the white oak grove, 

 and I lost sight of her amorg the tops of the tallest trees. In 

 vain we beat the whole cover in that direction, we could 

 get no trace of her. Concluding that she had "treed," we 

 commenced thumping each tree in the vicinity where I had 

 seen her last, and soon routed her. She pitched down from 

 the top of a tall tree like a ro3ket revised, and not until 

 within two or three feet of the ground did she alter her 

 course. She received our fire with a cool complacency tbat 

 was not fcha-ed by us, and skimming tlong close to the 

 ground across tin rn?adow, we saw her swing into the hated 



