144 FORTY-FOUR YEARS OF 



" Oh no," said Sam ; " I will bring him back." 



" How will you get to him ? " said I ; for we could see 

 him sitting in the bushes. Sam said he would swim the 

 creek, and catch him ; and as there was snow hanging on 

 the alders in every direction, I tried to prevent him from 

 doing so ; but he stripped oflf his clothes, and, as naked 

 as he was born, he plunged into the water, and swam to 

 the other side. In a minute the chase began. Off went 

 the turkey, with Sam close behind him ; and when Sam 

 would stop to take hold of the turkey's tail, the latter 

 would slip under the alders. Whenever Sam gained on 

 him, the same dodge would be resorted to. I had a full 

 view of the race ; and sometimes, when Sam would head 

 him and turn him toward me, I had a front view of Sam, 

 and when the turkey would turn from me, I had a back 

 view of him. I never laughed more at anything I ever 

 met with, than I did at that chase. At last they both got 

 out of sight in the thick bushes, when I heard the turkey 

 cry out, " Quit ! quit ! " 



" No, no," said Sam, " I '11 be — if it ain't too late 

 to say 'quit' now, after you have run me so long in these 

 — briers. My hide is torn to jiblets, and I am tired to 

 death." 



He now reappeared, holding the turkey by the neck, 

 and leading him along, telling him at the same time what 

 he might depend on, till he came to the deep channel, 

 when in he plunged again, and swam over to me, holding 

 the turkey with one hand and swimming with the other, 

 through a sheet of water thirty or forty feet wide, and 

 twelve to twenty feet deep. He brought the turkey to 

 me, and told me to hold his little horse while he dressed, 

 when he would attend to him himself. He soon put his 

 clothes on again ; but his skin was so torn with briers and 

 bushes, that he was bloody all over, and he was as red as 

 a goose's foot durins a cold day in winter. He then cut 



