192 THE ADIRONDACK. 



trees thus falling all alone on a still and beautiful 

 morning, foretelling a coming tempest. Sombre 

 omens these, and mysterious, as becomes the un- 

 trodden forest. 



Mitchell had shot an immense fish-hawk, breaking 

 only the tip of his wing, so as to prevent him from 

 flying. He brought him and set him down before the 

 fire, when the fearless bird drew himself proudly up 

 and steadily faced us down without attempting to run 

 away. His savage eye betokened no fear, and when 

 any one of us approached him, his leg would be lifted 

 and his talons expanded ready to strike. I was never 

 so struck with the boldness of a bird in my life. At 

 length Mitchell took him and placed him on a rock 

 by the edge of the lake, when, for a moment, he 

 forgot his wound, and spreading his broad wings, 

 leaped from his resting place. But the broken pinion 

 refused to carry him heavenward, and he fell heavily 

 into the water. I saw Mitchell bring his rifle to his 

 shoulder, and the next moment a bullet crushed 

 through the head of the poor creature, and its suffer- 

 ings were over. 



Such are the incidents c f a life in the woods, and 

 thus do the days and nights pass — not without mean- 



