Page:Christmas Fireside Stories.djvu/97

A Day with the Capercailzies. 85 say, " That was one for you, Peter Sandåker, put that in your pipe andsmokeit1" At midnight wc lay down on a couple of benches in front of the fire and refreshed ourselves with a short snooze. When wc awoke, Peter said it was time to make a start for the pairing fround of the capercailzies. It was a cold, sharp morning ; there was a thin crust on the snow, so that it crackled beneath our tread. The sky was, however, clear and blue, and a few white clouds which were quretly drifting towards us from the south, predicted an early end to the chilly night air. The moon stood low on the horizon, and instead of lighting us on our nocturnal expedition, it only threw a faint light on the distant hills and the tops of the trees, while it created that mysterious twilight between the tall fir trees which lengthens the shadows intermin ably, and calls forth ghostly figures between the trunks of the trees, and måkes the forest so mysterious, so deep and awe inspiring. The robin alone by his soft morning song broke the silence and the solitude which reigned in the forest. " There's the bird singing who is the first to wake up in the morning," said Peter. "It wo.o't be long novv, before the whole forest is alive and stirring ; wc had better hurry on a bit." " There's plenty of time, my dear Peter," said the captain ; "the capercailzie plays best on the hill between here and the Londals bog, and I don't think wc shail have much of the play this morning ; it is too cold." " Wc shall have it much warmer towards the morning," answered Peter rather positively ; " there is a southerly draught in the air, and I think wc shall have some fine play, as the nights have lately been so chilly. When the sun rises wc shall have some splendid play. Only hear the woodcock, how he is roading ;he expects fine weather. There is the snipe drumming also. Wc shall have it fine ! " he added, with an air of conviction. Wc heard the peculiar note of the woodcock, which resembles the repeated croaking of the frog, followed by a sharp hissing sound, somewhat like the noisy chirping of the wagtail \ by the faint light