le
for a shot. The crack followed; and the branch, shivered by his bullet,
bent downward under the weight of the gruya. But the bird, caught in a
double fork, still stuck fast on the broken limb.

A murmur of approbation followed the shot. These were men not
accustomed to hurrah loudly at a trivial incident.

The Indian now approached, having reloaded his piece. Taking aim, he
struck the branch at the shattered point, cutting it clean from the
tree! The bird fell to the ground, amidst expressions of applause from
the spectators, but chiefly from the Mexican and Indian hunters. It was
at once picked up and examined. Two bullets had passed through its
body. Either would have killed it.

A shadow of unpleasant feeling was visible on the face of the young
trapper. In the presence of so many hunters of every nation, to be thus
equalled, beaten in the in of his favourite weapon, and by an "Injun";
still worse by one of "them ar' gingerbread guns!" The mountain men
have no faith in an ornamented stock, or a big bore. Spangled rifles,
they say, are like spangled razors, made for selling to greenhorns. It
was evident, however, that the strange Indian's rifle had been made to
shoot as well.

It required all the strength of nerve which the trapper possessed to
conceal his chagrin. Without saying a word, he commenced wiping out his
gun with that stoical calmness peculiar to men of his calling. I
observed that he proceeded to load with more than usual care. It was
evident that he would not rest satisfied with the trial already made,
but would either beat the "Injun," or be himself "whipped into shucks."
So he declared in a muttered speech to his comrades.

His piece was soon loaded; and, swinging her to the hunter's carry, he
turned to the crowd, now collected from all parts of the camp.

"Thar's one kind o' shootin'," said he, "that's jest as easy as fallin'
off a log. Any man kin do it as kin look straight through hind-sights.
But then thar's another kind that ain't so easy; it needs narve."

Here the trapper paused, and looked towards the Indian, who was also
reloading.

"Look hyar, stranger!" continued he, addressing the latter, "have ye got
a cummarade on the ground as knows yer shooting?"

The Indian after a moment's hesitation, answered, "Yes."

"Kin your cummarade depend on yer shot?"

"Oh! I think so. Why do you wish to know that?"

"Why, I'm a-going to show ye a shot we sometimes practise at