as there were several
David Fiskes in town, he was called Weaver David. We used to send yarn
up to him to weave, and I wore clothes made of cloth that came from his
loom. Early that same spring he came down to the blacksmith's shop with
one of his father's horses to be shod, and as I was getting ready, said:
"Ben, it's awful to see the boys going off to the war, having all this
fun fighting the French and Indians, and to be shut up in that
confounded loom, listening to its clatter, when there's so much going
on. Jonathan and John have just gone off again, and I must stay at home.
But the pigeons are flying now, and next Tuesday will be Pigeon Tuesday.
They always fly on that day. And there will be rafts of them flying
down to the shore. I suppose they go to get a taste of salt, and must
have it, just like the cattle. Amos Locke and I are going after them up
on Bull Meadow Hill, and we want you to come too."

[Sidenote: WILD PIGEONS]

"I'll go, Davy, if I can get off."

After I had shod the horse, I spoke to Mr. Harrington about it. He said:
"You won't need but half a day, Ben. The shooting will be all over by
nine o'clock, and you can come back and work in the afternoon."

In the spring flights of pigeons came north very early. They lived in
the woods and swamps, and as soon as it began to be light flew down to
the shore.

As they came along, we used to toll them down with our decoys. The
flight was almost always over by nine o'clock.

When they returned in the evening, they paid no attention to decoys, but
made straight for their roost.

Tuesday morning, I was at Davy's house a couple of hours before sunrise
and, as usual, found him grumbling because I had not come an hour
earlier.

There was a bright moon, and we had plenty of light as we walked over
the fields, and Davy told me wonderful stories of his hunting. He was
full of superstitions, and had settled on this day as the one particular
day in the year when there would be a great flight of pigeons.

"Pigeon Hill, off there to our right, is a pretty good place for
pigeons. It's on our land, and I've got a pigeon rig up there. But Bull
Meadow Hill is higher and a good deal better. It belongs to Amos's
folks. He has a pigeon rig and pole on it, and it will be all ready.
Amos says Bull Meadow got its name because a bull was drowned in a ditch
there nigh on to a hundred years ago."

We reached Bull Meadow and went up the hill. Amos was there waiting for
u