A >'OYICE IN TUEKET-HUNTING. 235 



header, I dressed, and, lighting my pipe, quietly took a 

 seat in the bow of the boat, watching the labours of 

 the men to kill time till breakfast would be ready. 



Several times I had heard distant noises to which I 

 paid little heed, not being accustomed to the gobbling 

 of the wild turkey ; but at length one, who could not 

 have been more than three hundred yards from the 

 boat, gave a loud gobble, and then there could be no 

 doubt in the mind of anyone who had ever heard the 

 domestic bird of the farm-yard. 



' Kome meestair,' said the German skipper, tapping 

 me upon the shoulder, ' you go see if you can no get 

 for our breakfast a fine turkey.' 



As the boat was pushed across towards the shore for 

 me to land, an American boy on board said — 'You 

 may catch sight of the bird, but I guess you won't kill 

 it ; they are about the shyest birds out.' 



Being a young man, and having a tolerable gun, of 

 course I held a different opinion, though I said nothing. 

 On stepping ashore, I paused a few seconds, hoping to 

 hear the sound repeated, so that I should know in which 

 direction to seek my game ; and very shortly the loud 

 notes were again rolled forth. As near as I could judge 

 the sounds seemed to be about three hundred yards off 

 in the forest ; so off I started very cautiously, sometimes 

 crawling on hands and knees, taking advantage of every 

 bunch of briar bushes or tree trunk that stood in my 

 path, and walking as noiselessly as possible. The bird 



