as he proceeded, until a `booming' sound was
produced, more like the rumble of distant thunder than anything I can
think of.

"This appeared to be a challenge to the others; and then a second would
come out, and, after replying to it by putting himself through a similar
series of attitudes, the two would attack each other, and fight with all
the fury of a pair of game-cocks.

"I could have watched their manoeuvres much longer," continued Basil,
"but hunger got the better of me, and I made ready to fire. Those that
were `dancing' moved so quickly round the ring that I could not sight
one of them. If I had had a shot-gun, I might have covered several, but
with the rifle I could not hope for more than a single bird; so, wanting
to make sure of that, I waited until an old cock mounted the rock, and
got to `drumming.' Then I sighted him, and sent my bullet through his
crop. I heard the loud whirr of the pack as they rose up from the ring;
and, marking them, I saw that they all alighted only a couple of hundred
yards off, upon a large spruce-tree. Hoping they would sit there until
I could get another shot, I loaded as quickly as possible, and stepped
forward. The course I took brought me past the one I had killed, which
I picked up, and thrust hastily into my bag. Beyond this I had to pass
over some logs that lay along the ground, with level spaces between
them. What was my surprise in getting among these, to see two of the
cocks down upon the grass, and righting so desperately that they took no
notice of my approach! At first I threw up my rifle, intending to fire,
but seeing that the birds were within a few feet of me, I thought they
might let me lay hold of them, which they, in fact, did; for the next
moment I had `grabbed' both of them, and cooled their bellicose spirits
by wringing their heads off.

"I now proceeded to the pack, that still kept the tree. When near
enough, I sheltered myself behind another tree; and taking aim at one, I
brought him tumbling to the ground. The others sat still. Of course, I
shot the one upon the lowest branch: I knew that, so long as I did this,
the others would sit until I might get the whole of them; but that if I
shot one of the upper ones, its fluttering down through the branches
would alarm the rest, and cause them to fly off. I loaded and fired,
and loaded and fired, until half-a-dozen of the birds lay around the
root of the tree. I believe I could have killed the who