THE WILD TURKEY. 45 
to a blind, and saw a man, gun in hand, standing’ up in 
full view behind it. He wore a most rueful counte- 
nance, and when my cicerone advanced and cordially 
shook hands with him, he did not seem to have feeling 
enough to perform even that simple act of courtesy in 
an earnest manner. After I had been introduced to him, 
my comrade asked him if he had not been “fooled ” 
nicely, and he replied that he had, and was sorely dis- 
appointed at the result of such splendid gobbling. 
“*No man in the country but you could a-done it,” 
said he, in a little more animated tone; ‘“‘and it is a con- 
solation to know that I’m not the first one you played 
your durned old trick on.” 
<‘Oh! never mind the trick now,” exclaimed my com- 
panion; ‘‘so don’t look as if you had lost your mother- 
in-law. Have you killed anything?” 
“No.” 
“Then we must get something, if its only a powt. 
Let’s try to rout a flock, for I see you have your dog with 
you.” 
This proposition proving acceptable, we started through 
the woods and set the dog to work. He seemed to be a 
cross between a hound and a spaniel, as he displayed 
some of the distinct markings of both breeds; but what- 
ever he was he knew his business, for he carefully quar- 
tered the ground, using both his eyes and nose in the 
most admirable manner. After working for fifteen min- 
utes, he struck the hot trail of a feeding flock, and 
dashed away from us. We followed as fast as we could, 
and soon heard the sharp put, put, the whirring rush of 
many wings, and the vigorous bark of the dog, to an- 
nounce that he had flushed the quarry. We ran a few 
hundred yards further, and on reaching a glade we 
built a blind in a very short time, by entwining the 
bushes, and breaking them down where we thought 
necessary. When this was ready, we entered, and the 
