Jan. 4, 1908.] 
FOREST AND STREAM. 
a clump of tall birches also weighted down 
with snow until their tops nearly rested on the 
ground. The whole formed a picture that all 
the years have not dimmed. 
As I approached the nearest tree, I was 
startled by the noise and flutter of a large 
number of grouse that had been taking shelter 
on the bare ground under the tree. I have no 
doubt that there were fifty of them, perhaps 
more, for in those days there were grouse. 
While watching them the thought came to me 
that perhaps I could capture some of them, and 
the longer I dwelt upon the thought, the more 
I wanted one or two of them to take home 
with me. I had not much faith in the promised 
turkey, and it seemed to me that a brace of 
these birds would help out with the dinner on 
4 the morrow in a most satisfactory manner; so I 
1 set my wits to work to solve the question as to 
how I should accomplish the wished for 
capture. A few days before this, I had ac¬ 
companied a young friend when he had visited 
4 his snares and had taken a mental note of the 
■ ■ manner in which they were arranged. As recol- 
• lection of this came to me, I felt that the prob- 
4 lem was solved, and that some of these beauti- 
ti ful birds would grace the empty platter. I be- 
t gan to overhaul my pockets in search of string, 
but all that I could find was a solitary bit of 
common wrapping twine, not more than a foot 
tt and a half in length, just about enough for one 
:: snare. I had intended to go into the business 
of snaring on rather an extensive scale, but the 
it limited quantity of string obliged me to modify 
I my views, so I worked with the material at hand 
and soon had two stakes out and stuck into the 
: ground in the form of the letter A with the 
lit string tied securely around the top and a slip- 
f noose at the other end which I spread open and 
fastened in the orthodox manner to nicks in the 
side of the sticks. Then with other sticks and 
trash I formed wings on each side of the snare 
* some three or four feet in length, and when all 
; was ready, I went around the tree under which 
it the birds had flown and again routed them and 
t; succeeded in driving a large portion of them 
I under my tree. When I rushed back to the 
spot I found to my intense wonder and delight 
if that one of the birds had the noose fast around 
t!j its neck, and I soon had it safe in my hands. 
While admiring the beautiful bird, the 
thought struck me that I must kill it, but my 
ii whole nature revolted at the idea, and as I de- 
it bated the question, laying, I fear, undue stress 
[1 upon that empty platter at home, I inadvertent- 
t; ly held fast hold on the bird with the string so 
in tightly drawn about its neck that the matter 
j was settled before I had arrived at a conclusion, 
and it was with no little surprise and I must 
II add satisfaction that I discovered that the bird 
ill was dead. This result removed a heavy load 
vi from my mind, and I at once released the noose 
from its neck, and again adjusted it, and lay- 
1 ing my treasure at the foot of the tree, I 
a started for another drive, but this time did not 
a succeed in making a capture, as I was too 
i| eager and rushed to the place before the birds 
:■ had time to move around. 
At the next drive, I waited a few minutes, 
s and then approaching carefully, I saw a bird 
f run through the door and suddenly bring up 
and flutter as it came to the end of the string. 
Then I made my rush, and so hardened had my 
P feelings become by success that my conscience 
pricked me but little as I shut my eyes and 
pulled on the bird until I thought it safe to lay 
it beside its companion. 
After this I made several unsuccessful drives 
as the birds were becoming scarce, and I was 
obliged to visit several of the trees before I 
could get a half dozen under my tree, but I 
finally succeeded in capturing a third victim, 
which I deliberately strangled with scarcely a 
feeling of remorse. I have a distinct recollec¬ 
tion that I then wondered why this should be 
so, and that I tried to reason out the matter 
and find a solution of the problem, but came 
to no satisfactory conclusion. 
When I had secured my third bird, it was 
past the noon hour and high time that I was on 
my way home, so I tied my three birds together 
with the string that I had used for my snare, 
then breaking ofif a large armful of hemlock 
boughs, I shouldered them, and carrying my 
birds in the other hand, with a proud heart and 
light footsteps, I started back by the path I 
had made when coming. 
Just as J was passing through the barway 
RUFFED GROUSE STRUTTING. 
into the village street, I met a Quaker neigh¬ 
bor whose countenance lighted up when he 
saw the birds, and in a cheerful but rather sur¬ 
prised tone he exclaimed, “Thee hast done well,” 
Then the pleasant smile on his face faded out, 
the corners of his mouth drew down, and the 
cheerful tone slowly changed to one of re¬ 
proachful regret as he added, “If thee hast not 
stolen them.” 
This was a poser. I did not understand it at 
all, and I bothered over it for several days and 
finally went to him and asked for an explana¬ 
tion. He told me that he had been brought up 
to believe that anything taken from the land 
of another without paying for it or at least 
obtaining permission from the owner was 
stolen. 
Now this bothered me more than the other, 
and after thinking it over a while, I went to 
the owner of the land and told him the whole 
story, Quaker and all, and just how I felt about 
it. “Well,” said the old man as he patted me 
on the head, “I am glad that you have told me 
15 
^ -- . - » 0$ 
this, and when you want to set snares on my 
' land, you just go on and set them, and it will 
be all right. I never hunt or trap and don’t 
care a snap who kills the game. I never forbid 
any one hunting on my land, but at the same 
time I should feel much better about it if the 
hunters would only ask permission as you have 
done. I think that about all the farmers feel 
the same.” 
This little sermon sank deep into my heart 
and I have endeavored to live up to its teach¬ 
ings all through life. I know that I have, by 
pursuing this course, made many warm friends 
as well as obtained much good shooting that 
otherwise I should never have found. 
When I carried the birds into the house and 
showed them to my mother, her astonishment 
and delight were unbounded. As she examined 
them and bestowed unstinted praise upon me, I 
resolved, deep down in my heart, that I would 
become a hunter. In order that I might start 
fair with a good outfit, I went to my uncle’s 
room, and overhauling his fishing tackle, 
selected a line that I thought was about the 
thing for snares and put it in my pocket. Then, 
with a mind at rest, so far as equipment was 
concerned, I returned to the kitchen and 
assisted in dressing the birds, which were 
stuffed and placed in the pantry ready to take 
the place of that turkey, in case father failed 
to come. 
At twelve o clock, on Thanksgiving Day, he 
had not arrived. The birds were laid in a row 
in the dripping pan, with a thin slice of fat 
salt pork on each breast. They were then put 
in the oven, and just as mother had pronounced 
them almost done and was about to set the 
table, father drove into the yard. As I started 
for the door mother bade me say nothing about 
the birds, so I kept quiet and busied myself 
with taking care of the horse while father, after 
taking the paper off the turkey and showing it 
to me, carried it into the house. Mother at 
once began getting it ready for the oven, while 
father went to his room to change his clothes, 
never mistrusting that there was anything out 
of the usual course, and thinking that he would 
have to wait for his dinner until the turkey was 
cooked. 
\ ou can imagine his surprise when he came 
from his room to find us seated around the 
table with all the good things complete, except 
that instead of the turkey those three birds 
were smoking on the platter. I shall never 
forget his look of pleased surprise as he seated 
himself at the table and served the dainty dish 
amid a perfect avalanche of words from all five 
of us as we gave him full particulars of the 
whole performance, nor shall I ever forget his 
after-dinner speech, nor the look he gave me 
as he turned to me and said, “Well, my boy, 
I must thank you for the very best Thanks¬ 
giving dinner I ever enjoyed.” It is perhaps 
needless to say that this made me very happy, 
and I again resolved that I would become a 
hunter. 
At that time I had no conception of the true 
meaning of the word. I only knew that so far 
as I had progressed in the science of woodcraft, 
the pleasurable excitement attending success 
and the pride that swelled my heart as words 
of praise from loved ones fell upon my ears 
were very acceptable. 
[to be continued.] 
