“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 deviated3 much from the circumference4 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 squatted5 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, flirting6 with his spread tail, erecting7 the ruff upon his neck, and throwing back his head, he would swell8 and strut9 upon the rock, exhibiting himself like a diminutive10 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 as he proceeded, until a ‘booming’ sound was produced, more like the rumble11 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 desperately12 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 bellicose13 spirits by wringing14 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 whole pack, but it just then occurred to me that I was wasting our precious ammunition15, and that, considering the value of powder and shot to us just now, the birds were hardly worth a load apiece; so I left off cracking at them. As I stepped forward to gather what I had killed, the rest whirred away into the woods.
“On reaching the tree where they had perched, I was very much surprised to find a raw-hide rope neatly16 coiled up, and hanging from one of the lower branches. I knew that somebody must have placed it there, and I looked round to see what ‘sign’ there was besides. My eye fell upon the cinders17 of an old fire near the foot of the tree; and I could tell that some Indians had made their camp by it. It must have been a good while ago, as the ashes were beaten into the ground by the rain, and, moreover, some young plants were springing up through them. I concluded, therefore, that whoever had camped there had hung the rope upon the tree, and on leaving the place had forgotten it. I took the rope down to examine it: it was no other than a lasso, full fifty feet long, with an iron ring neatly whipped into the loop-end; and, on trying it with a pull, I saw it was in the best condition. Of course, I was not likely to leave such a prize behind me. I had grown, as you may all conceive, to have a very great regard for a rope, considering that one had just saved all our lives; so I resolved on bringing the lasso with me. In order to carry it the more conveniently, I coiled it, and then hung the coil across my shoulders like a belt. I next packed my game into the bag, which they filled chock up to the mouth, and was turning to come back to camp, when my eye fell upon an object that caused me suddenly to change my intention.
“I was near the edge of the woods, and through the trunks I could see a large open space beyond, where there were no trees, or only one here and there. In the middle of this opening there was a cloud of dust, and in the thick of it I could see two great dark animals in motion. They were running about, and now and then coming together with a sudden rush; and every time they did so, I could hear a loud thump18, like the stroke of a sledgehammer. The sun was shining upon the yellow dust-cloud, and the animals appeared from this circumstance to be of immense size—much larger than they really were. Had I not known what kind of creatures were before me, I should have believed that the mammoths were still in existence. But I knew well what they were: I had seen many before, carrying on just such a game. I knew they were buffalo19 bulls, engaged in one of their terrible battles.”
Here Basil’s narrative20 was interrupted by a singular incident. Indeed, it had been interrupted more than once by strange noises that were heard at some distance off in the woods. These noises were not all alike: at one time they resembled the barking of a cur dog; at another, they might have been mistaken for the gurglings of a person who was being hanged; and then would follow a shriek21 so dreadful that for some time the woods would echo with its dismal22 sound! After the shriek a laugh would be heard, but a miserable23 “haw-haw-haw!” unlike the laugh of a sane24 person.
All these strange voices were calculated to inspire terror, and so have they many a time, with travellers not accustomed to the solitary25 woods of America. But our young voyageurs were not at all alarmed by them. They knew from what sort of a creature they proceeded; they knew they were the varying notes of the great horned-owl26 (Strix Virginiana); and as they had seen and heard many a one before, they paid no heed27 to this individual.
While Basil was going on with his relation, the bird had been several times seen to glide28 past, and circle around upon his noiseless pinions29. So easy was his flight, that the slightest inclining of his spread tail, or the bending of his broad wing, seemed sufficient to turn and carry him in any direction. Nothing could be more graceful30 than his flight, which was not unlike that of the eagle, while he was but little inferior in size to one of these noble birds.
What interrupted Basil was, that the owl had alighted upon a branch not twenty feet from where they were all sitting round the fire, by the blaze of which they now had a full view of this singular creature. The moment it alighted, it commenced uttering its hideous31 and unmusical cries, at the same time going through such a variety of contortions32, both with its head and body, as to cause the whole party a fit of laughter. It was, in fact, an odd and interesting sight to witness its grotesque33 movements, as it turned first its body, and then its head around, without moving the shoulders, while its great honey-coloured eyes glared in the light of the fire. At the end of every attitude and utterance34, it would snap its bill with such violence, that the cracking of the mandibles upon each other might have been heard to the distance of several hundred yards.
This was too much for François’ patience to bear, and he immediately crept to his gun. He had got hold of the piece, and cocked it; but, just as he was about to take aim, the owl dropped silently down from the branch, and, gliding35 gently forward, thrust out its feathered leg, and lifted one of the grouse in its talons36. The latter had been lying upon the top of a fallen tree not six feet from the fire! The owl, after clutching it, rose into the air; and the next moment would have been lost in darkness, but the crack of François’ rifle put a sudden stop to its flight, and with the grouse still clinging to its claws it fell fluttering to the earth. Marengo jumped forward to seize it; but Marengo little knew the sort of creature he had to deal with. It happened to be only “winged,” and as soon as the dog came near, it threw itself upon its back, and struck at him with its talons so wickedly, that he was fain to approach it with more caution. It cost Marengo a considerable fight before he succeeded in getting his jaws37 over it. During the contest it continually snapped its bill, while its great goggle38 eyes kept alternately and quickly opening and closing, and the feathers being erected39 all over its body, gave it the appearance of being twice its real size. Marengo at length succeeded in “crunching” it—although not until he was well scratched about the snout—and its useless carcass having been thrown upon the ground, the dog continued to worry and chew at it, while Basil went on with his narration40.
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1
grouse
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| n.松鸡；v.牢骚，诉苦 | |
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2
ascertain
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| vt.发现，确定，查明，弄清 | |
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3
deviated
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| v.偏离，越轨( deviate的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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circumference
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| n.圆周，周长，圆周线 | |
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5
squatted
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| v.像动物一样蹲下( squat的过去式和过去分词 )；非法擅自占用（土地或房屋）；为获得其所有权；而占用某片公共用地。 | |
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6
flirting
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| v.调情，打情骂俏( flirt的现在分词 ) | |
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7
erecting
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| v.使直立，竖起( erect的现在分词 )；建立 | |
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8
swell
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| vi.膨胀，肿胀；增长，增强 | |
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9
strut
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| v.肿胀，鼓起；大摇大摆地走；炫耀；支撑；撑开；n.高视阔步；支柱，撑杆 | |
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10
diminutive
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| adj.小巧可爱的，小的 | |
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11
rumble
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| n.隆隆声；吵嚷；v.隆隆响；低沉地说 | |
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12
desperately
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| adv.极度渴望地，绝望地，孤注一掷地 | |
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13
bellicose
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| adj.好战的；好争吵的 | |
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14
wringing
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| 淋湿的，湿透的 | |
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15
ammunition
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| n.军火，弹药 | |
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16
neatly
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| adv.整洁地，干净地，灵巧地，熟练地 | |
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17
cinders
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| n.煤渣( cinder的名词复数 )；炭渣；煤渣路；煤渣跑道 | |
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18
thump
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| v.重击，砰然地响；n.重击，重击声 | |
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19
buffalo
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| n.(北美)野牛；(亚洲)水牛 | |
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20
narrative
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| n.叙述，故事；adj.叙事的，故事体的 | |
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21
shriek
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| v./n.尖叫，叫喊 | |
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22
dismal
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| adj.阴沉的，凄凉的，令人忧郁的，差劲的 | |
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23
miserable
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| adj.悲惨的，痛苦的；可怜的，糟糕的 | |
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sane
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| adj.心智健全的，神志清醒的，明智的，稳健的 | |
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25
solitary
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| adj.孤独的，独立的，荒凉的；n.隐士 | |
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26
owl
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| n.猫头鹰，枭 | |
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27
heed
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| v.注意，留意；n.注意，留心 | |
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28
glide
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| n./v.溜，滑行；(时间)消逝 | |
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29
pinions
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| v.抓住[捆住]（双臂）( pinion的第三人称单数 ) | |
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30
graceful
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| adj.优美的，优雅的；得体的 | |
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31
hideous
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| adj.丑陋的，可憎的，可怕的，恐怖的 | |
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32
contortions
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| n.扭歪，弯曲；扭曲，弄歪，歪曲( contortion的名词复数 ) | |
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33
grotesque
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| adj.怪诞的，丑陋的；n.怪诞的图案，怪人（物） | |
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34
utterance
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| n.用言语表达，话语，言语 | |
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35
gliding
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| v. 滑翔 adj. 滑动的 | |
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36
talons
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| n.（尤指猛禽的）爪( talon的名词复数 )；（如爪般的）手指；爪状物；锁簧尖状突出部 | |
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37
jaws
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| n.口部；嘴 | |
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38
goggle
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| n.瞪眼，转动眼珠，护目镜；v.瞪眼看，转眼珠 | |
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39
ERECTED
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| adj. 直立的，竖立的，笔直的 vt. 使 ... 直立，建立 | |
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40
narration
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| n.讲述，叙述；故事；记叙体 | |
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