exhibited to him
the evidences that anything was the matter, I was rather surprised at
the question.

"Nothing is the matter, except that a shot was fired at me a little
while ago," I replied, as though it were a matter of not much
consequence.

"I think you are mistaken," he replied very promptly.

"How could I be mistaken when the ball whistled by my head?" I
demanded.

"It might not have been within ten feet of your head, though it sounded
as though it were within a few inches. I shot a wild turkey as I came
up, and I fired in the direction of the steamer. It occurred to me that
the ball might have gone through her, and I confess that I was very
careless," replied Cornwood.

"I think you were, extremely careless," I added coldly.

"But I am sure the ball could not have gone within ten feet of you, or
I should have seen you," protested the guide.

"Where is the turkey you shot?" asked Ben, who appeared to have some
doubts in regard to the truth of the story.

"I threw him down on the forecastle as I came on board," answered
Cornwood.

We walked to that part of the steamer, and there lay the wild turkey,
as handsome a bird as I had ever seen. This evidence satisfied me, for
as the Floridian had never failed to do anything he promised, or
disappointed the party in regard to fish and game, he was in high favor
with all on board, at least with those in the cabin.

"Colonel Shepard and Mr. Garningham have shot no end of deer and wild
turkey, and they have stacked the game about two miles from the
landing," continued the guide. "They have more than we could bring, and
I volunteered to come up for a mule team."

"Buck and Hop are taking care of the pair we used this afternoon; you
can take the others," I replied.

Cornwood went on shore, and in a short time I saw him drive down the
shore into the woods.

"Do you believe that story about the wild turkey?" asked Ben, when
Cornwood had gone ashore.

"I see no reason to disbelieve it," I replied, looking with interest at
the engineer.

"Do you? Well, I don't; and I didn't believe it when he told it,"
replied Ben, as he pointed with his jack-knife at a place in the wild
turkey which he had partly dissected. "Do you see that?"

"I do not see anything but blood and meat," I answered.

"You don't! Well, there is the ball that whistled within ten feet of
your head when you were walking on the main deck."

Ben Bowman applied his knife-blade to the turkey, and