134 AMERICAN GAME BIRD SHOOTING. 
was with several species of predaceous animals. The 
first thing that aroused us from our revery was the 
alarmed cry of a duck, and on looking up we saw a mal- 
lard, which was high in the air, rushing downward with 
the speed of a hurricane, while a hawk, which looked like 
a speck in the clouds, pursued it. The duck tried every 
stratagem it knew to escape its pursuer; it darted hither 
and thither in the most abrupt manner, its aim being, 
evidently, to get to the water as soon as possible, and 
this the cheetah of the air tried to prevent by dashing 
under it, and causing it to rise again, or to sheer off from 
its course. The chase lasted for some time, owing to the 
habit the hawk had of rising above the duck in order to 
make a downward dart at it. Whenever it did this, the 
latter would rush for the lake, only to bring its relent- 
less enemy swooping down again like a meteor. The 
hawk finally made a lunge at the terrified fugitive, not a 
hundred yards from us, and this caused it to rush for the 
shelter of the woods, but its fate was evidently sealed, for 
its deadly foe was just about to strike it when the report 
of a gun rang through the forest, and the hawk fell dead, 
while the mallard, with cries of terror, went sailing in 
safety through the trees. 
On looking in the direction of the detonation to see 
who had so promptly come to the rescue of the fugitive, 
we saw the doctor standing on the edge of the lake with 
a gun in his hand, and recognized in him the chivalric 
hero who had defended the weak from the murderous 
oppressor. Smith was so impressed with this noble deed 
that he indulged in a fit of poetry concerning it, and 
this he finally jotted down in my note book, but as it is 
not of the very highest order of rhythm, I will only 
quote the first verse, merely as a sample: 
“ That pirate of the air—the savage hawk, 
Pursued a duck till he madé it squawk ; 
But Dr. Pillbox, with his gun so gory, 
Shot him, and crowned himself with glory.” 
