240 
grouse altogether, at different times. And I 
found that the birds didn’t fly more than 
a hundred or two hundred yards when they 
were not hit, or had not been shot at because 
of their rising where they were not seen by | 
me the first time. I different times followed 
a bird that had flushed wild, and by getting 
the little dog to chase up and down good and 
plenty, I got it up again, and I usually 
got my bird. But you mustn’t be too 
quick, and at the same time you got to be 
as quick as you can. Isn’t it funny? You 
undershoot if you pull too quick, and if 
you wait too long they’re in the brush. 
They fly pretty much in a straight line after 
they get up, though, and I could generally 
tell abou’ where to go to look for a bird 
that flush: | wild. I also found that when 
I had put up one bird and shot it, it paid 
me to work the same ground over for more. 
I put up as many as three birds from a 
place within a circuit of a hundred yards, 
and each one waited for the dog to jump 
it. I tell you I got so I shore enjoyed 
myself. But I was all the time scared the 
Doctor would happen on my hunting 
territory before the week was up; and, shore 
enough, he did. And that’s not all. 
“T had got my eight birds Thursday and 
Friday, and, of course, Gilder got all he 
needed—with the help of the guide whose 
face I punched. Well, it come Saturday 
morning and I had about used up my 
territory; it shore had been good hunting 
where I’d been working. It was about ten 
o’clock in the morning and I had got only 
four birds, every one of ’em hit right in the 
middle, you can bet. But I was feeling kind 
of careless, because, you see, that made 
me a total of thirty, and with my handicap 
of six, it was impossible for the Doctor to 
do more than tie me. And I’d just as lieve 
let it gone that way, for I’d had a good time 
and I knew the Doctor was shore a hard 
loser. But I was certainly sorry I had to 
mutilate them nice grouse to be positive 
about ’em. I was sitting down, just soaking 
up the sunshine and wishing I didn’t never 
have to go back home, and the little dog 
was sitting by me, looking off across the 
valley, just as wise and as contemplative 
as your grandfather, when out of the bushes 
walked my friend the guide. He stopped 
dead still when he saw me, but the Doctor 
RECREATION 
was following him close and bumped into 
him. When they saw there was no help for 
it, they come on out and said, ‘Hello.’ 
Then they saw the little dog, and you can 
eat me for an oyster if that little purp didn’t 
get up and trot over to them wagging his 
little fool tail and talking as if he was glad 
to see them. He jumped up and licked the 
guide’s hand and was real playful. I begun 
to feel like I was caught with the goods. 
“**Where’d you get that dog ?’ demanded 
the guide. 
““*T didn’t get him,’ said I, ‘he come to 
me.’ 
““*Hfe’s my dog and I ain’t seen him for 
a week,’ he said. 
‘“**T don’t suppose you could see much,’ 
I answered him, ‘with that black eye I gave 
you. You’d ought to keep out of trouble 
and keep your eye on your property.’ 
“Then the Doctor chipped in. He 
always did hate me, I guess, but he had 
chosen to take it out on me in a different 
way. He started right in to blackguard me, 
and I believe he would have called me a 
thief if I hadn’t got on my feet and took my 
coat off. I did some talking, myself, then. 
And since I believed him capable of having 
done it, I told the guide that he had stole the | 
dog, and that I’d hired him from the dog’s 
rightful owner, and for him to shut his jaw 
and keep his hands off him or I’d give him 
some more medicine for what ailed him. 
They shut up then, and I called the dog 
over to me and put the chain on him. I 
didn’t know just what to do with him, but 
I wasn’t going to be bluffed by that guide. 
“Then Gilder got a great inspiration. 
I guess he thought he had me in a corner, 
for he hauled five grouse out of his pockets 
and said, if I didn’t mind, he’d close up our 
business, his and mine, as he didn’t care 
to have any more dealings with me. But 
I had my mind made up then to get all there 
was coming to A No. 1. So I told him, as 
polite as I could, that I had all the rest 
of the day before I need talk business. I 
said an agreement was an agreement, and 
‘T held him to the one he had made. I told 
him I had a total of thirty birds, and that 
I was going to get another before the day 
was over and I’d take one of his pointers 
home with me, thank you. 
““He was hot. 

