CONWELL AND HIS FAMILY. 125 



In about half an hour old Conwell came in : if ever 

 uprightness was stamped upon any countenance, it was 

 upon his ; his hair was white as snow, but his step was 

 as springy as he moved about in his hunting-shirt, leg- 

 gins, moccasins, and -bare neck, as if he had seen but 

 twenty years. After we had been seated about an hour, 

 it seemed as if I had known him from childhood, and the 

 evening flew past with incredible swiftness. 



The cold was very sharp on Christmas-day, and we 

 were delighting in a glorious fire, when John, the young- 

 est boy, ran in, and said there was a large gang of tur- 

 keys in the corn. I seized my rifle, called Bearsgrease, 

 and was soon in the field. No sooner had the dog found 

 the scent, than he was amongst them, and they flew to 

 the neighboring trees. I knocked over one, loaded, and 

 tried for another, leaving Bearsgrease to watch the prize, 

 as several pigs were near us. Not being able to get 

 another shot, I returned to the dog, and found him with 

 his paws full of business. Another larger dog had come 

 to have a smell at the turkey ; Bearsgrease, mistaking 

 his intentions and my instructions, attacked the stranger, 

 threw him over, and held him fast, with the fiercest coun- 

 tenance in the world ; but when he saw me coming he 

 began to wag his tail, being thus, like Janus, severe in 

 front and amicable behind. I released the stranger from 

 his disagreeable position, and patted and soothed Bears- 

 grease to express my approbation and satisfaction at his 

 good behavior ; but he continued to give an occasional 

 growl and scowl at the other dog. 



I amused myself for a couple of days with turkey 

 shooting, leaving Slowtrap time to arrange his affairs, 



