delayed
him; and therefore, while they were discussing their savoury supper,
Basil narrated the details of his day's adventure.

CHAPTER NINE.

A "PARTRIDGE DANCE."

"After leaving here," said Basil, "I struck off through the woods in a
line that led from the river, in a diagonal direction. I hadn't walked
more than three hundred yards, when I heard a drumming sound, which I at
first took to be thunder; but, after listening a while, I knew it was
not that, but the drumming of the ruffed grouse. As soon as I could
ascertain the direction of the sound, I hurried on in that way; but for
a long time I appeared to get no nearer it, so greatly does this sound
deceive one. I should think I walked a full mile before I arrived at
the place where the birds were, for there were many of them. I then had
a full view of them, as they went through their singular performances.

"There were, in all, about a score. They had selected a piece of open
and level ground, and over this they were running in a circle, about
twenty feet in diameter. They did not all run in the same direction,
but met and crossed each other, although they never deviated much from
the circumference of the circle, around which the grass was worn quite
bare, and a ring upon the turf looked baked and black. When I first got
near, they heard my foot among the leaves, and I saw that one and all of
them stopped running, and squatted close down. I halted, and hid myself
behind a tree. After remaining quiet a minute or so, the birds began to
stretch up their necks, and then all rose together to their feet, and
commenced running round the ring as before. I knew they were performing
what is called the `Partridge Dance;' and as I had never witnessed it I
held back awhile, and looked on. Even hungry as I was, and as I knew
all of you to be, so odd were the movements of these creatures, that I
could not resist watching them a while, before I sent my unwelcome
messenger into their `ballroom.' Now and then an old cock would
separate from the pack, and running out to some distance, would leap
upon a rock that was there; then, after dropping his wings, flirting
with his spread tail, erecting the ruff upon his neck, and throwing back
his head, he would swell and strut upon the rock, exhibiting himself
like a diminutive turkey-cock. After manoeuvring in this way for a few
moments, he would commence flapping his wings in short quick strokes,
which grew more rapid