A Rabbit Hunt on the Prairie. 



many years ago and shot several, but it had been so long since 

 I had seen one that this fellow looked as big as a calf to me. 

 A few minutes after the jack-rabbit incident I met with another 

 surprise. I was tramping along through the tall grass think- 

 ing of the big jack I had missed when just ahead of me. and 

 all around my feet there arose, with booming of wings, a large 

 covey of full-grown prairie-chickens. I didn't get rattled this 

 time, for I had been hunting these fellows for two weeks, and, 

 selecting my birds, dropped a pair in good shape. We were 

 now at the end of the slough, and, crossing over a hill to the 

 south, struck the head of another. This one, though much 

 smaller than the one we had just hunted, had a very heavy 

 growth of grass and furnished better shooting. Rabbits got up 

 every few rods, and, being so suddenly aroused from their mid- 

 day siesta, would make a jump or two, and then stop to recover 

 from their surprise offering the finest kind of a shot. We 

 struck a piece of heavy grass near the head of the slough, and 

 as the wire went into it, up went a flock of nearly a hundred 

 chickens. They divided, part crossing in front of George, and 

 the rest of the flock swinging around in close range of me ; but, 

 while George dropped his pair in good style, I had to be content 

 with one bird and a hatful of feathers. This was the last shot 

 of the day, and when we reached the high ground we pulled 

 up in the shelter of a big hay-rick for dinner. Unhitching the 

 team, we tied them to the wagon, pulled some hay from the 

 stacks for them, spread our lunch on the grass, and enjoyed a 

 meal as only hungry hunters can enjoy, with the sauce of a 

 successful hunt for an appetizer. 



"Well, Will," says George, "how do you like this kind -of 

 hunting?" 



"Well, George, I don't think I ever enjoyed a better morn- 

 ing's shoot in my life. There is a peculiar charm about it, 

 owing to the fact that you never know what kind of game you 

 are going to flush, where it is going to get up or where it is 

 going to go." 



[47] 



