r
accustomed exercise, while the twittering of birds, barking of dogs,
lowing of cows, and neighing of horses seemed to invite me to join them
in the woods. Often, as my weary pen scratched slowly over the paper,
their voices seemed to change to hoarse derisive laughter, as if they
thought the little misshapen frogs croaking and whistling in the marshes
freer far than their proud masters, who coop themselves up in smoky
houses the livelong day, and call themselves the free, unshackled "lords
of the creation."

I soon became accustomed to these minor miseries of human life, and ere
long could sit:--

"From morn till night
To scratch and write
Upon a three-legged stool;
Nor mourn the joys
Of truant boys
Who stay away from school."

There is a proverb which says, "It is a poor heart that never rejoices."
Now, taking it for granted that the proverb speaks truth, and not
wishing by our disregard of it to be thought poor-hearted, we--that is,
McKenny and I--were in the habit of rejoicing our spirits occasionally--
not in the usual way, by drinking brandy and water (though we did
sometimes, when nobody knew it, indulge in a glass of beer, with the
red-hot poker thrust into it), but by shouldering our guns and sallying
forth to shoot the partridges, or rather grouse, which abound in the
woods of Red River. On these occasions McKenny and I used to range the
forest in company, enlivening our walk with converse, sometimes light
and cheerful, often philosophically deep, or thinking of the "light of
other days." We seldom went out without bringing home a few brace of
grey grouse, which were exceedingly tame--so tame, indeed, that
sometimes they did not take wing until two or three shots had been
fired. On one occasion, after walking about for half an hour without
getting a shot, we started a covey of seven, which alighted upon a tree
close at hand. We instantly fired at the two lowest, and brought them
down, while the others only stretched out their long necks, as if to see
what had happened to their comrades, but did not fly away. Two more
were soon shot; and while we were reloading our guns, the other three
flew off to a neighbouring tree. In a few minutes more they followed
their companions, and we had bagged the whole seven. This is by no
means an uncommon exploit when the birds are tame; and though poor
_sport_, yet it helps to fill your larder with somewhat better fare than
it would often contain wit