What Might Have Been Expected

Strik

a short distance in front of the turkey-blind, and a little patch of dark sky was

night," whispered Tony, "ef ye kin only gi

said Harry, softly. "It's

t. Feel yer way, and don't make no noise if ye run agin anything. And mind this"-and here Tony s

p of the ridge. There was something dark against the sky, and Harry watched it for a long time. At last, as it did not move at all, he came to the conclusion that it must be a bush, and he was entirely correct. For an hour or two he quietly crept among the trees, hoping he would either find the thing that was moving or get back to the turkey-blind. Several times something that he was sure was an "old har," as hares are often called in Virginia, rushed out of the bushes near him; and once he heard a quick rustling among

rom running this way and that to try and find some place in the woods with which he was familiar. Before long he heard what

ead. The turkey-hunter was swimming hand-overhand, "dog-fashion," for the shore. Behi

ried Harry; "what's

uttered and puffed, and struck out

Harry, wildly excited,

er had found bottom, and was standing with his head out of water. But the bottom was soft and muddy, and he flopped about dolefully

I don't want no gun-muzzles pinted at me. Take a-hol

rk forward with all his strength. Over went Tony, splash on his face in the water, and Harry came very near going in head-foremost on top of him. But he recovered himself, and, not having loosed hi

ng his dripping head, "but what I'd 'most as lieve be shot as ducked

hile Tony gradually worked his feet through the sticky mud until

said Harry. "How did

ing himself, all dripping wit

being drowned," sa

his legs with them "I kin swim well enough, but a fellar has a rough

mpty the shot o

ny, with an aggrieved expre

ry earnestly inquired. "What

s face with his wet coat-sleeve, but finding that only made matters worse, he accept

till I got opposite John Walker's cabin, where it

that thing?" in

en I got over on the tree

lowing?" a

gh day when I turned to come back. An' then when I got up here I thought I would look fur John Walker's boat

d it upset?

t o' pole, and I got a sorter cross a-gettin' along so slow, and so I

u went!" s

up to makin' sich a boat as that. It's jist the mean

laughing; "but if I were you, I'd go home a

ising; "these feel like t

alked along up the creek, "did y

id," answ

hat wa

Captain

aseby?" cr

head we seen agin the sky, as he was a-walk

gain ejaculated Har

gun wasn't no further use, an' it was only in my way, so I left it in the bushes up her

eby doing here in the woo

re he wasn't a-huntin for my turkey-blind, and then I l

lage, who should they meet, at a cross-road in

e on earth have you been? Here I'

ith a chuckle; "and Harry and I've

o delighted to find his boy again, that he did not care t

so tired that he had to give up, and go home, and how Mr. Loudon had gone through the woods to the north, while he kept down by the creek,

ge to meet Mr. Lo

ollerin'," sai

tty near all nig

you holler?"

in the night air,' said the c

woods where Harry is," said the turkey-hunter, "or he'll pop you

after me last night with a g

d for you that it was so dark that he couldn't see what you was; but it might ha

y and completely glad I didn't know it. I should have yelled all th

appened, and Captain Caseby had declared, in the bosom of his family, that he would never go out into the woods again at night without keeping up a steady "holler," Harry r