through the air. The hen answered it 

 and in a few moments her former mate, 

 a huge pompous red-wattled fellow, 

 came strutting through the undergrowth. 

 He greeted her gladly, but showed lit- 

 tle affection for his children, giving the 

 wise young gobbler a cruel pinch by 

 way of salutation, or as a rebuke for his 

 superior wisdom. After that, the old 

 gobbler seemed to have a special grudge 

 against the young one, taking pains to 

 prod him on all occasions with his 

 strong sharp bill. The young gobbler 

 would have left the flock, but the Big 

 Swamp seemed too lonely; aijd, be- 

 sides, his mother and former nestmates 

 urged him to remain, showing him 

 many little attentions on the sly. 



Summer passed and autumn, with its 

 dreary leaf-fall, came. The constant 

 thud of overripe nuts and acorns re- 

 sounded in the forest. The turkey- 

 flock scratched industriously in the fall- 

 en leaves; but, after the squirrels above, 

 and the swine below, had winnowed it, 

 the acorn-crop was scant. Then the 

 old gobbler led out to the neighboring 

 fields where an easier, though more 

 perilous, living was to be obtained by 

 by shelling the ripened peas and stripping 

 the fallen ears of corn. Here the young 

 gobbler, that we shall call Black Beard 

 — as he was called later, — became more 

 watchful than ever. Somehow he knew 

 that these were stolen sweets. For many 

 days the turkeys frequented the fields 

 without serious results ; though two or 

 three times they had been frightened off 

 by farm-hands. Some of the flock — 

 even the old gobbler — came to regard the 

 open more favorably. Black Beard, how- 

 ever, was not among the number. He 

 saw danger — perhaps death — looking 

 down those long corn-rows. But not 

 until one morning when the old gobbler, 

 flurried and fairly peppered with squir- 

 rel-shot, dropped into the Big Swamr^ 

 and rose to his feet on the run, was 

 Black Beard's caution heeded. 



When at last winter reigned in "In- 

 dian Woods," spreading its soft white 

 mantle of snow even over the moist 

 tussocks in the swamp, the turkeys met 

 many hardships. Food was difficult to 

 find ; and then but a few sour winter- 

 berries rewarded the effort. The flock- 

 ranged far and wide, but always along 



the trail of the Big Swamp, straggling 

 by day through the sheltered fastnesses, 

 shivering at night upon the naked limbs. 

 Unable to withstand the severity of the. 

 weather, several of the weaker ones 

 drooped and died, remaining, for a time, 

 somber dark spots upon the driven snow. 

 Black Beard, strong and swift as of 

 yore, kept, pace with the old gobbler, 

 and together, quarreling and disagree- 

 able, they led the way. They came one 

 evening on a little path cleared through 

 the snow. Along it for many yards lay 

 scattered grain. Black Beard viewed it 

 with suspicion and distrust, but the oth- 

 er, emboldened by hunger, leaped into 

 the trail and followed it greedily on and 

 on. Behind them, still watchful and 

 wary, came Black Beard gleaning what 

 was left. Suddenly he saw two dark 

 objects protruding from a strange-look- 

 ing brush-pile in the distance; then his 

 keen ear caught a slight noise. With a 

 quick turn, he gave the warning cry, but, 

 before the others could run or rise in 

 flight, there were two deafening reports 

 and Black Beard, scurrying away into 

 the swamp, knew that evil had befallen 

 the flock. Hours later, when the gold 

 of sunset was glinting the ermine hills, 

 he sent forth a soft inquisitive yelp, and, 

 one by one, the stragglers gathered to 

 his call — save his mother and old gob- 

 bler ; they never returned. 



Finally, the snow all melted and food- 

 became easier to obtain. The change 

 was soon manifest in the flock, for each 

 one took on better flesh. Black Beard 

 guarded and guided them with a mas- 

 ter's skill. He was a fine young tur- 

 key now, wonderfully large for his age; 

 black and glossy, with a touch of green 

 about the neck; red-wattled and lordly. 

 A growing tuft of coarse black hair on 

 his breast was beginning to justify his 

 future title — Black Beard. He never 

 ceased to teach his followers to be wary ; 

 but alas ; he could not know that the 

 strongest of all foes was plotting their 

 destruction, and that he seldom plotted 

 in vain. 



It happened one drizzly day, as Black 

 Beard was leading them through a pine 

 ticket, that a bird-dog suddenly appeared 

 in the distance. Black Beard saw him in 

 a flash and quickly warned the others, 

 but at sight of the dog a strange mad- 



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