316 A PIGEON HUNT ON THE OHIO. 



should have the ladies in our company ; some of the fair 

 creatures would he as good as sure to "split" upon the 

 howitzer. What was to he done to prevent this ? 



We eight had sworn to he staunch to each other. We 

 had taken every precaution ; we had only used our "great 

 gun" when far off, so that its report might not reach the 

 ears of our antagonists; hut how ahout to-morrow? 

 Could we trust our fair companions with a secret ? De- 

 cidedly not. This was the unanimous conclusion. A 

 new idea came to our aid. We saw that we might dis- 

 pense with the howitzer, and still manage to out-count 

 our opponents. We should make a depository of birds in 

 a safe place. There was a squatter's house near hy. 

 That would do, so we took the squatter into council, and 

 left some one thousand five hundred hirds in his charge, 

 the remainder being deemed sufficient for that day. From 

 the one thousand five hundred thus left, we might each 

 day take a few hundred to make up our game-hag just 

 enough to out-number the other party. We did not send 

 home the corporal and his howitzer. We might require 

 him again : so we quartered him upon the squatter. 



On returning home, we found that our opponents had 

 also made a " big day's work of it ;" but they were beaten 

 by hundreds. The ladies were ours ! 



And we kept them until the end of the hunt, to the no 

 little mortification of the gentlemen in the "minority.* 



