194 THE WILD TURKEY AND ITS HUNTING 



spots that had escaped the fire. I soon saw the 

 white top of the old gobbler's head stealing 

 slowly through the dead brush a hundred yards 

 away, but the boys could not see him until he 

 walked upon a small mound some three feet 

 in height, that brought his whole form above the 

 dead bushes. His feathers were all down, lying 

 close to his body, and his long beard hung low; 

 a noble bird he was. The most thrilling and 

 picturesque object to my eye is the long beard of 

 the turkey; just as the big horns of a buck are to 

 the deer hunter. In a low whisper I asked the 

 boys if they saw him. "Yes, yes," both an- 

 swered in a trembling whisper. Then the rifle 

 cracked and the bird sprang into the air and fell 

 back dead. The two boys, wild with delight, 

 sprang to their feet and went crashing through 

 the burned underbrush to get hold of the fallen 

 turkey. One of the young men, quite a hunter, 

 remarked: "That beats all the maneuvering 

 with a gobbler I have ever seen and was well 

 worth the long ride to witness." So presenting 

 him with the big twenty-two pound bird, we 

 went home. 



