WORK.

The two cabins built, wood for the winter cut and hauled, and the
planting all done, there was now nothing left to do but to wait and
see the crop ripen. Their good friend Younkins was in the same
fortunate condition, and he was ready to suggest, to the intense
delight of the boys, that they might be able to run into a herd of
buffalo, if they should take a notion to follow the old Indian trail
out to the feeding-grounds. In those days there was no hunting west of
the new settlement, except that by the Indians. In that vague and
mysterious way by which reports travel--in the air, as it were--among
all frontier settlements, they had heard that buffalo were plenty in
the vast ranges to the westward, the herds moving slowly northward,
grazing as they went. It was now the season of wild game, and so the
boys were sent across to Younkins's to ask him what he thought of a
buffalo-hunting trip.

Reaching his cabin, the good woman of the house told them that he had
gone into the tall timber near by, thinking he heard some sort of wild
birds in the underbrush. He had taken his gun with him; in fact,
Younkins was seldom seen without his gun, except when he was at work
in the fields. The boys gleefully followed Younkins's trail into the
forest, making for an opening about a half-mile away, where Mrs.
Younkins thought he was most likely to be found. "Major," the big
yellow dog, a special pet of Sandy's, accompanied them, although his
mistress vainly tried to coax him back. Major was fond of boys'
society.

"There's Younkins now!" cried Oscar, as they drew near an opening in
the wood into which the hot sunlight poured. Younkins was half
crouching and cautiously making his way into the nearer side of the
opening, and the boys, knowing that he was on the track of game,
silently drew near, afraid of disturbing the hunter or the hunted.
Suddenly Major, catching sight of the game, bounded forward with a
loud bark into the tangle of berry bushes and vines. There was a
confused noise of wings, a whistle of alarm which also sounded like
the gobble of a turkey, and four tremendous birds rose up, and with a
motion, that was partly a run and partly a flying, they disappeared
into the depths of the forest. To their intense surprise, the usually
placid Younkins turned savagely upon the dog, and saying, "Drat that
fool dog!" fired one barrel loaded with fine bird-shot into poor
Major.

"Four as fine wild turkeys as you ever saw in