Before the sun had risen, I was on my way, directing my course by the purple streak in the east, which announced his approach. This was the morning of the fourth day since I had parted from my companions. I had made but one meal, and the cravings of hunger were becoming excessive. I looked round, when I reached the edge of the prairie, but saw nothing; I looked through the bottom of forest, but no game was visible. I stretched out my leg, looked at the leather legging which covered it, and considered whether it was easy of digestion. I felt it; it _was_ rather tough; so I determined to keep on, and wait till night, before I proceeded to extremities. Just then, I caught sight of a turkey, leading a troop to take an airing in the prairie. I whizzed a bullet after him; his wing dropped and dragged, and I commenced a hot pursuit. But though I had injured his wing, I had not damaged his legs, and after following him for nearly fifteen minutes, I threw myself down completely exhausted. The rest of the _gang_, taking advantage of the diversion created in their favour, had disappeared among the trees. I gave up all hopes of again finding them, and wandered slowly along the edge of the woods. As I was winding my way through the trees, I heard a loud _click_ above me, and observed a large red squirrel springing from one limb to another, of a bur-oak. As he caught sight of me, he darted round the trunk and peered out, with about an inch of his head, to take an observation. I was hungry, and this cowardly manœuvre made me angry. I determined, that _have_ that squirrel I _would_, if I spent the whole day in shooting at him. I rested my rifle against the trunk of a tree, and after a long aim, fired; the bullet dashed the head of the little animal to pieces, and whirled him some twenty feet off in the air. I had lost my knife on the day previous, but with the assistance of a nail which I found in my pouch, I skinned my prize, and impaling him upon the point of a spit made of a dry stick, stuck it in the ground before the fire to roast. While the process of cooking was going forward, a flock of screaming parroquets came whirling through the trees; but upon catching sight of me, they determined to stop and see what I was about. They accordingly alighted upon a dead tree directly above me, casting side-looks down upon my roast, and from the joyous chattering that they kept up, no doubt were congratulating each other, upon having called, just in time to be invited to breakfast. But I had a meal in store for them, of a very different description; for after hovering round under the tree, for some time, I contrived to get three of them in a range, and fired. My bullet missed, and the flock whirled off, though I could hear their voices raised in a clamorous outcry, at my want of civility, long after they had disappeared among the trees.