Nov. i, 1913- 
FOREST AND STREAM 
553 
The Story of Mushkodasa the Partridge 
By FRANK L. BAILEY 
I N a spot so dark in the forest, that the 
faintest little ray of sunshine never entered, 
lived Mushkodasa, the partridge. The foot 
of man had never trod here, and save for 
Adjidaumo, the squirrel, and Opeche, the robin, 
Mushkodasa’s forest home remained unknown. 
On summer evenings when the moon was 
round and silvery, he liked to walk to the little 
opening by the river’s bank, and there watch 
Shuh-shuh-ga, the blue heron, as he stood deep 
in the crystal waters, fishing. When the 
winter’s snows lay deep in the forest, he came 
out with plumage ruffled and dared Kabibonoka, 
the cold wind, to come forth and do battle. 
And Kabibonoka did come forth and puffed his 
mighty cheeks, and bellowed and roared until 
the trees bent in suppliance and howled their 
whistling protest, yet Mushkodasa stood un¬ 
harmed. 
One beautiful September afternoon when 
the sun was warm, and a gentle summer haze 
settled through all the woods, Mushkodasa bur¬ 
rowed deep in the soft red earth. And as he 
burrowed, he thought of Meenhga, the blue¬ 
berry, and rising from the earth, he betook him¬ 
self to a spot where the fruit grew ripe and 
cool, there he ate his fill. The round crimson 
berries he liked, too, and after partaking of a 
generous quantity of these, he walked to the 
edge of the little brook and swallowed quanti¬ 
ties of sand and gravel. Long and earnestly 
he studied his own reflection in the silvered 
waters, and his strong heart leaped within him, 
for he was good to look upon. 
After a bath and a careful preening, he 
perched himself upon a spruce stump, to bask 
in the sunshine. He listened for a moment to 
the gentle sighing of the wind, filling the air 
with a dreamy softness and he smiled, too, good- 
naturedly, as he heard the blythesome chatter 
of his little friend Adjidaumo, the squirrel. 
And while the sun bestowed its gentle influence 
upon him, he slept. 
Suddenly he awoke with a start. Something 
struck the tree a resounding “whack” just be¬ 
low him. And as he looked with sleepy eyes, 
there was a “twang,” and a second missile, long, 
round and slender, seemingly of wood, smote him 
fair in the breast. The blow scarcely hurt but 
it made him angry, and to show his contempt, 
he rose on mighty wings that beat the air 
thunderously, and plunged straight for the 
woods where the briar and bayberry were 
thickest. He'd show these two bare-legged 
urchins that mere wood could not harm him. 
He, Mushkodasa, the partridge, what cared he 
for wood? And he smiled disdainfully as he 
plunged onward through bush and brake and 
forest. 
Still he was furious that night when he told 
Little Gray-Wing, his wife. Human hand had 
reached him. It had not actually touched him 
(he shivered), yet the aim had been true, and 
the shaft swift and had it been a harder sub¬ 
stance, and moving with greater force—he 
closed his eyes—he must be more careful. • 
For a long time he went out only at night, 
but he missed the warm sunshine, the cool 
breezes laden with odors of pine and alder, the 
song of the brook and the chatter of his little 
friend Adjidaumo, the squirrel, and soon he fell 
into his old habits again. 
One day he heard the weird laughter of 
Mahng, the loon, and going to the river’s bank, 
he found him going through his regular per¬ 
formance of fancy diving. All at once Mush¬ 
kodasa had a strange feeling. It was as though 
human eyes were watching him and before he 
could seek the friendly shelter of a nearby 
juniper, there was a peculiar sound like the rush 
of air, like the plunge of the muskrat, and he 
felt a sharp pain in his side. For a moment he 
stood faint and trembling, he staggered, then 
summoning all his strength, he leaped on thun¬ 
dering wings that beat the air as did Kabibo¬ 
noka, the cold wind, and he plunged through 
brake and bush. Across the little brook he 
dashed, not daring to stop and quench his 
thirst for fear his enemies would seek him out 
and destroy him. But he knew where lay a 
little pool, all hidden by green alders, he would 
be safe there. So, with wings held stiff, he 
scaled through an opening, and lighted be¬ 
side the calm waters. Quenching his thirst, he 
regarded himself critically in the water-mirror 
below him. He breathed deeply several times 
and ruffled jhis feathers, and as he did so, a 
little round hard pellet fell out. He gazed at 
it in wonder, then started back in fear. It close¬ 
ly resembled one of those things that had 
“IN A SPOT SO DARK IN THE FOREST.” 
