TURKEY SHOOTING. 138 



the horse with our blankets and game, and as I rode 

 past, I brought away the other half of the doe, which 

 was too good to leave behind. As the day was now far 

 advanced, and the horse had about 200 Ibs. to carry, 

 we resolved to camp for the night near the first spring 

 we came to. 



As we crossed a flat on the top of a mountain, we 

 heard a horrible noise from a large gang of turkeys, a 

 sure sign of bad weather. Conwell sprang from his 

 horse, and we ran towards the sound. When near 

 enough, I cheered on the dog, and in an instant the whole 

 forest was alive with turkeys. A great big fellow flapped 

 into a tree about sixty yards in front of me, and fell to 

 the ground with a ball from my rifle. While loading, I 

 observed Conwell going about with his rifle at his cheek, 

 carefully watching all the long necks ; then he stopped, 

 took aim, and fired. But the turkey only reeled on the 

 bough, and recovered himself. As soon as I was loaded 

 I knocked over a second, and by this time the greater 

 part of the gang had made oft 7 ; but the one Conwell had 

 hit, sat still, badly wounded, with the blood dropping 

 fast. Conwell had now loaded again, and shot him 

 through the head. On my asking why he had not se- 

 lected another, as he was sure of this one, he answered 

 that this was the fattest and heaviest of the whole gang, 

 and he was right. Mine were both large birds, but his 

 w? -ighed more by three pounds. He laughed, and said 

 he had not looked out for the best in vain, and told me 

 " when the turkeys are all sitting on the trees, fright- 

 ened at the dogs, there is no occasion to be in a hurry 

 to shoot the first that comes a good sportsman should 



