The Scouts of the Valley [40]
about couldn't hev been knee high to Henry. Besides, ef them old Greeks an' Romans hed hed to fight Wyandots an' Shawnees an' Iroquois ez we've done, whar'd they hev been?"
Tom Ross uttered a contemptuous little sniff, and on the edge of that sniff Alexander and Hannibal were wafted into oblivion. Then he went outside and walked about the islet, appreciating for the tenth time what a wonderful little refuge it was. He was about to return to the hut when he saw a dozen dark blots along the high bough of a tree. He knew them. They were welcome blots. They were wild turkeys that had found what had seemed to be a secure roosting place in the swamp.
Tom knew that the meat of the little bear was nearly exhausted, and here was more food come to their hand. "We're five pow'ful feeders, an' we'll need you," he murmured, looking up at the turkeys, " but you kin rest thar till nearly mornin'."
He knew that the turkeys would not stir, and he went back to the hut to resume his watch. just before the first dawn he awoke Henry.
"Henry," he said, "a lot uv foolish wild turkeys hev gone to rest on the limb of a tree not twenty yards from this grand manshun uv ourn. 'Pears to me that wild turkeys wuz made fur hungry fellers like us to eat. Kin we risk a shot or two at 'em, or is it too dangerous?"
"I think we can risk the shots," said Henry, rising and taking his rifle. " We're bound to risk something, and it's not likely that Indians are anywhere near."
They slipped from the cabin, leaving the other three still sound asleep, and stepped noiselessly among the trees. The first pale gray bar that heralded the dawn was just showing in the cast.
"Thar they are," said Tom Ross, pointing at the dozen dark blots on the high bough.
"We'll take good aim, and when I say 'fire!' we'll both pull trigger," said Henry.
He picked out a huge bird near the end of the line, but be noticed when be drew the bead that a second turkey just behind the first was directly in his line of fire. The fact aroused his ambition to kill both with one bullet. It was not a mere desire to slaughter or to display marksmanship, but they needed the extra turkey for food.
"Are you ready, Tom?" he asked. " Then fire."
They pulled triggers, there were two sharp reports terribly loud to both under the circumstances, and three of the biggest and fattest of the turkeys fell heavily to the ground, while the rest flapped their wings, and with frightened gobbles flew away.
Henry was about to rush forward, but Silent Tom held him back.
"Don't show yourself, Henry! Don't show yourself!" he cried in tense tones.
"Why, what's the matter?" asked the boy in surprise.
"Don't you see that three turkeys fell, and we are only two to shoot? An Injun is layin' 'roun' here some whar, an' he drawed a bead on one uv them turkeys at the same time we did."
Henry laughed and put away Tom's detaining hand.
"There's no Indian about," he said. "I killed two turkeys with one shot, and I'm mighty proud of it, too. I saw that they were directly in the line of the bullet, and it went through both."
Silent Tom heaved a mighty sigh of relief, drawn up from great depths.
"I'm tre-men-jeous-ly glad uv that, Henry," he said. "Now when I saw that third turkey come tumblin' down I wuz shore that one Injun or mebbe more had got on this snug little place uv ourn in the swamp, an' that we'd hev to go to fightin' ag'in. Thar come times, Henry, when my mind just natchally rises up an' rebels ag'in fightin', 'specially when I want to eat or sleep. Ain't thar anythin' else but fight, fight, fight, 'though I 'low a feller hez got to expect a lot uv it out here in the woods?"
They picked up the three turkeys, two gobblers and a hen, and found them large and fat as butter. More than once the wild turkey had come to their relief, and, in fact, this bird played a great part in the life of the frontier, wherever that frontier might be, as it shifted steadily westward. As they walked back toward the hut they faced three figures, all three with leveled
Tom Ross uttered a contemptuous little sniff, and on the edge of that sniff Alexander and Hannibal were wafted into oblivion. Then he went outside and walked about the islet, appreciating for the tenth time what a wonderful little refuge it was. He was about to return to the hut when he saw a dozen dark blots along the high bough of a tree. He knew them. They were welcome blots. They were wild turkeys that had found what had seemed to be a secure roosting place in the swamp.
Tom knew that the meat of the little bear was nearly exhausted, and here was more food come to their hand. "We're five pow'ful feeders, an' we'll need you," he murmured, looking up at the turkeys, " but you kin rest thar till nearly mornin'."
He knew that the turkeys would not stir, and he went back to the hut to resume his watch. just before the first dawn he awoke Henry.
"Henry," he said, "a lot uv foolish wild turkeys hev gone to rest on the limb of a tree not twenty yards from this grand manshun uv ourn. 'Pears to me that wild turkeys wuz made fur hungry fellers like us to eat. Kin we risk a shot or two at 'em, or is it too dangerous?"
"I think we can risk the shots," said Henry, rising and taking his rifle. " We're bound to risk something, and it's not likely that Indians are anywhere near."
They slipped from the cabin, leaving the other three still sound asleep, and stepped noiselessly among the trees. The first pale gray bar that heralded the dawn was just showing in the cast.
"Thar they are," said Tom Ross, pointing at the dozen dark blots on the high bough.
"We'll take good aim, and when I say 'fire!' we'll both pull trigger," said Henry.
He picked out a huge bird near the end of the line, but be noticed when be drew the bead that a second turkey just behind the first was directly in his line of fire. The fact aroused his ambition to kill both with one bullet. It was not a mere desire to slaughter or to display marksmanship, but they needed the extra turkey for food.
"Are you ready, Tom?" he asked. " Then fire."
They pulled triggers, there were two sharp reports terribly loud to both under the circumstances, and three of the biggest and fattest of the turkeys fell heavily to the ground, while the rest flapped their wings, and with frightened gobbles flew away.
Henry was about to rush forward, but Silent Tom held him back.
"Don't show yourself, Henry! Don't show yourself!" he cried in tense tones.
"Why, what's the matter?" asked the boy in surprise.
"Don't you see that three turkeys fell, and we are only two to shoot? An Injun is layin' 'roun' here some whar, an' he drawed a bead on one uv them turkeys at the same time we did."
Henry laughed and put away Tom's detaining hand.
"There's no Indian about," he said. "I killed two turkeys with one shot, and I'm mighty proud of it, too. I saw that they were directly in the line of the bullet, and it went through both."
Silent Tom heaved a mighty sigh of relief, drawn up from great depths.
"I'm tre-men-jeous-ly glad uv that, Henry," he said. "Now when I saw that third turkey come tumblin' down I wuz shore that one Injun or mebbe more had got on this snug little place uv ourn in the swamp, an' that we'd hev to go to fightin' ag'in. Thar come times, Henry, when my mind just natchally rises up an' rebels ag'in fightin', 'specially when I want to eat or sleep. Ain't thar anythin' else but fight, fight, fight, 'though I 'low a feller hez got to expect a lot uv it out here in the woods?"
They picked up the three turkeys, two gobblers and a hen, and found them large and fat as butter. More than once the wild turkey had come to their relief, and, in fact, this bird played a great part in the life of the frontier, wherever that frontier might be, as it shifted steadily westward. As they walked back toward the hut they faced three figures, all three with leveled