Suddenly, the bird poised himself for an instant in the air, then closed his wings and shot downward. A whizzing sound! then a plash, and he disappeared beneath the surface, throwing up the water into sparkling foam-wreaths. He was absent but a moment, and then bore upward into the air a large fish.
John's shot took him on the wing, and he dropped dead, his claws yet grasping the fish, on the water's edge.
"Ruther harnsum than otherwise!" exclaimed Micah. "You've got your dinner, Captin'".
And he put the canoe rapidly towards the river-bank, to pick up the game.
They found it to be a large fish-hawk, with a good-sized salmon in its fierce embrace. It was a noble specimen of the bird, tinted with brown, ashy white, and blue, with eyes of deep orange color.
"Well, that are a prize", said Micah. "Them birds ain't common in these parts, bein' as they mostly live on sea-coasts. But this un was on his way seouth, and his journey has ended quite unexpected".
Saying which, he threw both bird and fish into the canoe, and darted forward on the river again.
"When shall we reach the deer feeding-ground you spoke of, Micah?"
"O! not afore night", said Micah. "And then we mustn't go anyst it till mornin'".