142 Next to the Ground 



in charge of Seeny, Dan's wife, who was very 

 black, very deft, and very discreet. Seeny and 

 Patsy also carried salt, pepper, and butter for 

 the bird-roast. The hunters themselves did 

 the roasting, wrapping up fresh-killed par- 

 tridges, feathers and all, in lumps of very wet 

 clay, and then thrusting the lumps in the 

 hottest part of the coffee fire. By time the 

 other things were eaten the birds were done. 

 Each man pulled out his clay lump, cracked 

 it between two stones, peeled off the frag- 

 ments, which took with them all the feathers, 

 then, holding the hot juicy bird by the legs, 

 dipped it in melted butter, salted it, peppered 

 it, and ate the tender flesh, throwing away, of 

 course, the skeleton, though some few twisted 

 off leg bones, and craunched them in their 

 teeth, claiming a bird's real savor lay in the 

 bones. 



Since they were kindly men and gallant. 

 Patsy was tempted with many roasted birds, 

 but she would not eat. Captain Billy Ven- 

 tress, the best shot in all the hunt, teased her 

 by saying it was because she herself was so 

 near a bird, she did not like to be a cannibal. 

 Patsy was brown like the birds, — brown- 

 eyed, with a mop of tangled curly brown 

 hair. She stepped lightly too, upon little 

 hollow feet. Captain Billy claimed her for 

 his sweetheart, gave her things, and kissed 



