ofitable to take off their skates and "tote" the sleds around
the spot. This necessitated a walk of several hundred feet through the
timber skirting the edge of the river. The way was uncertain, and John
Barrow went ahead, to steer the party clear of any danger.

"Finest timber in the world right here," he observed. "I can't see why
the timber company don't get together and put it in the market. It would
fetch a good price."

"Wait! I see something in yonder trees!" cried Dick, in a low voice.
"Can you make out what they are?"

"Wild turkeys!" answered the guide. "Git down behind these bushes. If we
can bag a few of them, we'll have rich eatin' for a few days!"

CHAPTER XV.

WILD TURKEYS.

Without delay the Rover boys dropped behind the bushes, and John Barrow
did the same. All kept as quiet as possible, for they knew that on the
first alarm the wild turkeys would be off.

The game was not over six feet from the ground, sitting in three rows on
as many branches of a hemlock that overhung the stream. There were over
a dozen in the flock, each as plump as wild turkeys ever get.

"How shall we fire?" asked Dick. "There is no call for all of us to
shoot at the same bird."

"I'll take one on the left," answered John Barrow. "You take one on the
right. Tom can take a middle one sitting high, and Sam a middle one
sitting low. All ready?"

"Yes," came the answer, from one after another.

"Then fire when I say three. One, two--three!"

Bang! bang! went the firearms, and as the reports echoed through the
forest, two of the wild turkeys were seen to drop dead under the
branches upon which they had been sitting. One, that was badly wounded,
fluttered down and began to thrash around in the brush. The rest of the
flock flew away with a rush and were lost to sight between the trees.

"Three! That isn't so bad!" cried Dick, as they all started on a run
forward. Soon they had the turkey on the ground surrounded, and John
Barrow caught up the game and wrung its neck.

"I guess I missed my mark," came rather sheepishly from Tom.

"You!" exclaimed Sam, in surprise. "I was just going to say I had
missed."

"Nobody missed," put in the guide.

"Nobody?" came from the three Rovers.

"Somebody must have missed," added Tom. "We fired four shots and only
got three birds."

"One of those that flew off was wounded. He dropped a lot of feathers
and went up in a shaky fashion. Of course, he got away, but just the
same