tingling with expectancy. In his heart he felt 
sure this was going to be a lucky day for him. 
Just off a little point of marsh that extended 
out into the bay the guide stopped and dis- 
tributed the fifty or more decoy ducks. To each 
was attached a string and a piece of iron, so that 
once dropped into the shallow water it became 
anchored and would not drift away. Then the 
guide pushed the boat into the marsh grass and 
the sportsman prepared for the slaughter. The 
sun rose and soon the man began to hear the 
rolling boom of duck guns fired at other points 
along the bay-shore. 
For twenty minutes they waited, and then up 
the bay came hurrying a large company of ducks. 
As they approached it could be seen that they 
would pass by at a distance of a few hundred 
yards. Then from the point of the marsh there 
came the loud “‘quack-quack,”’ “quack-quack,”’ 
of the guide’s duck call. The leaders swerved 
in toward the decoys and a moment later with 
set wings the whole flock of redheads was driv- 
ing down to alight in the water among the 
wooden dummies. Tense with excitement the 
156 
