another, and whirred off out of sight, without giving me any
sort of a chance. The hawk, however, had not come up yet; and I ran
forward, determined to take him as soon as he should make his
appearance. When I had got within shooting distance, up he fluttered to
the surface, and--what do you think?--he had one of the grouse
struggling in his claws! I let him have the right barrel, and both he
and grousy were knocked dead as a couple of door-nails!

"I thought I might fall in with the others again; and kept on in the
direction they had taken, which brought me at last to a piece of
woodland consisting of birches and willow-trees. As I was walking along
the edge of this, I noticed one of the willows, at some distance off,
covered with great white things, that at first I took for flakes of
snow; but then I thought it curious that none of the other trees had the
same upon them. As I came a little nearer, I noticed one of the things
moving, and then I saw they were birds, and very like the same I had
just seen, and was then in search of. So I crept in among the trees;
and, after some dodging, got within beautiful shooting distance, and
gave them both barrels. There, you see the result!"

Here Francois triumphantly pointed to the pile of birds, which in all,
with the jerfalcon, counted four brace and a half.

One was the rock-grouse, which the falcon had itself killed, and the
others were willow-grouse, as Lucien had stated. Francois now remained
silent, while Basil related his day's adventure.

CHAPTER XXXIV.

THE HARE, THE LYNX, AND THE GOLDEN EAGLE.

"Frank," began he, "has called his 'a bird adventure.' I might give mine
somewhat of the same title, for there was a bird mixed up with it--the
noblest of all birds--the eagle. But you shall hear it.

"On leaving the camp, I went, as you all know, up the valley. After
travelling for a quarter of a mile or so, I came upon a wide open
bottom, where there were some scattered willows and clumps of dwarf
birch-trees. As Luce had told me that such are the favourite food of the
American hare, or, as we call it in Louisiana, 'rabbit,' I looked out
for the sign of one, and, sure enough, I soon came upon a track, which I
knew to be that of 'puss.' It was fresh enough, and I followed it. It
kept me meandering about for a long while, till at last I saw that it
took a straight course for some thick brushwood, with two or three low
birches growing out of it.

"As I made sur