Part 26 (1/2)

”Shoot away; but you must remember that an owl and a squirrel are two different things. The thick feathers of the owl will glance a charge of shot that would blow a squirrel to pieces.”

Archie made no reply, but crawled up behind a thick cl.u.s.ter of currant-bushes that grew close by the fence, and, thrusting his gun between the branches, was settling himself into a comfortable position, when the owl suddenly leaped from his perch, and flew off toward the woods, as Frank had said he would, ”like a streak of lightning,” followed by the whole flock of his tormentors, which screamed with all their might.

”Now's our time,” said Frank. ”Come on!”

And, clearing the fence at a bound, he started across the meadow at the top of his speed. Archie followed close at his heels, and a few minutes run brought them to the edge of the woods.

”Now the hunt begins in earnest,” said Frank, ”We must separate; we shall make too much noise if we go together.”

”Where's the owl?” inquired Archie.

”As near as I can guess, he must be in that tall hemlock,” answered Frank, pointing through the woods toward the tree in question.

Archie immediately moved cautiously off in the direction indicated, leaving his cousin to take care if himself.

Guided by the noise made by the crows, he soon discovered the owl, not where Frank had supposed him to be, but on a tree that stood to the right, and several rods further off. Placing a large tree between himself and the game, he threw himself on his hands and knees, and crawled along as silently as possible, taking good care to keep out of sight of the crows.

He had arrived almost within range of the owl, when he found before him a spot of considerable extent, which was entirely dest.i.tute of bushes or large trees, and covered only with saplings, which grew so thinly that he would certainly be discovered if he attempted to pa.s.s through them. This brought him to a stand-still. He stood thinking whether he had better risk a shot at the owl or retrace his steps, when one of the crews uttered a cry of warning, which was immediately answered by the others, and the whole flock was out of sight in an instant. The owl gazed around a moment with his great eyes, then spread his wings, leaped into the air, and was flying rapidly away, when there was a sharp report, and he came tumbling to the ground, and the indefatigable Frank rose from the bushes, and ran forward to secure his prize.

”Dished again!” said Archie, to himself. ”I would have wagered a good deal that Frank was not within gun-shot.”

”I say, Archie, where are you?” called out Frank.

”Here I am. I thought, sure, that owl was mine.”

And Archie came forward, holding his gun in the hollow of his arm, and looking a little crest-fallen.

”You were not far behind,” said Frank, laughing.

”That's poor consolation. I wanted to be first. Never mind,” he added, catching up the owl, and throwing it over his shoulder, ”I'll be ahead of you yet.”

This generous rivalry had existed between the cousins from their earliest boyhood. In all athletic sports--such as running, ball-playing, swimming, and the like--Archie was acknowledged to be the superior; but in hunting Frank generally carried off the palm.

Archie, however, perseveringly kept up the contest, and endeavored to accomplish, by bold and rapid movements, what his cousin gained by strategy; and, although he sometimes bore off the prize, he more frequently succeeded in ”knocking every thing in the head” by what the boys called his ”carelessness.”

This was the source of a great deal of merriment between the cousins; and, although they sometimes felt a little mortified at their defeat (as did Archie now), they ever afterward spoke of it as a ”good joke.”

After breakfast the boys went into the shop again, and Frank sharpened his knife, and began to remove the skin of the owl, intending to stuff it and place it in the museum, while Archie took his ax and started for a grove of willows, that grew on the banks of the creek, to get some timber to make a dead-fall trap. He had been gone scarcely a moment before he returned in a great hurry, and, throwing down his ax, seized his gun, which stood in the corner behind the door, exclaiming,

”Now I've got a chance to make up for losing that owl. A flock of ducks, regular canvas-backs, have just flown over, and I think they lit in the swamp. You'll have to make tracks to get the start of me this time.”

And he shouldered his gun, and ran out of the shop, banging the door after him.

Frank immediately dropped the owl, caught up his gun, and started in hot pursuit. But his cousin had made the most of his time, and, when Frank reached the gate, he saw Archie far up the road, tearing along as fast as his legs could carry him, and spattering the mud in every direction.

Under any other circ.u.mstances, Frank would have stopped to laugh; but, as it was, he had no time to lose. So he ran down the bank of the creek, and, untying his skiff, pushed out into the stream, and a few strokes of the oars brought him to the opposite sh.o.r.e; then, fastening the skiff to a tree, he started through the woods, toward the swamp.

This enabled him to gain on his cousin almost half a mile.

But Archie happened to have luck on his side this time; for the ducks, instead of alighting in the swamp, as he had supposed, had come down in the creek; and, as he was hurrying along the road, which ran close to the creek, a slight splas.h.i.+ng in the water and a hoa.r.s.e ”quack”

attracted his attention, and caused him to proceed with more caution.