ifn tbe MoobB wftb tbe Bow 



Then I entered a piece of wooded pasture- 

 land where the cows seemed to be finding 

 food, although I saw little grass. Flickers 

 darted up from the ground here and 

 yonder, bounding away through the air, 

 their line of flight showing a series of long 

 undulations ; and each bird whacked the 

 bole of a tree and stuck there, a sheeny 

 spot of brown and gold speckled with 

 black. 



I would not have wantonly killed one 

 of those beautiful creatures for any price ; 

 but I shot at them from afar, just to drop 

 an arrow somewhere close enough to them 

 to startle them. At a hundred yards I 

 could do this ; and once it looked for a mo- 

 ment as if a miracle of accuracy or acci- 

 dent were to be compassed ; for the shaft, 

 flying beautifully, went curving over with 

 such steadiness, and in a line so marvel- 

 ously true, that when it approached the 

 bird I felt a compunction dart through my 

 mind. I thought it a center shot until it 

 struck. The flicker was a good hundred 

 yards distant from me, and I could make 

 it out only by its movements while peck- 

 240 



