164 FORTY-FOUR YEARS OF 



(?ren came in and told rae there was a flock of wild tur- 

 keys in the corn-field. I took ray rifle, crept slyly round 

 till I got the fence between thera and myself; when, lying 

 down on the ground, I crawled to the fence, and there 

 waited to make a selection. One of the turkeys had as- 

 sumed the control of all the corn-shocks ; and if, while he 

 was picking an ear at one side of a shock, he heard an- 

 other turkey on the other side, he would run round and 

 drive him off. lie would not allow any gobbler to pick 

 at the same shock with himself. 



After he had driven three or four away, and they all 

 seemed in dread of him, I called to him, in a low tone, 

 " You are a fierce old tyrant, and it won't last you long." 

 This I knew would cause him to stand still, so that I could 

 have a fair shot at him. 



When he heard my voice, he could not tell where it 

 came from ; and straightening himself up, he stood as still 

 as he could, looking for the cause of the noise I then 



fired at him, and over and over he went. I started to rub, 

 but made such a poor attempt that I got ashamed, as I 

 saw Mary and the children looking at me. I hoi bled 

 along to him, and, finding that he was dead, I took him 



