None of us had ever cut up one before, and we did not know exactly how to begin; besides, we had nothing but the axe to do it with, our knife having been forgotten.

At last Jack started up and said,-- "Don't let us waste more time talking about it, boys.

Hold it up, Peterkin.

There, lay the hind leg on this block of wood, so;" and he cut it off, with a large portion of the haunch, at a single blow of the axe.
"Now the other,--that's it." And having thus cut off the two hind legs, he made several deep gashes in them, thrust a sharp-pointed stick through each, and stuck them up before the blaze to roast.

The wood-pigeon was then split open, quite flat, washed clean in salt water, and treated in a similar manner.