A MORNING WITII NATULE, ETC. 251 
the gun, and the duck would spread out its wings on 
the water, gasping for breath, while the gurgling in its 
throat would show it recognized the uncertainty of life 
and the absolute certainty of death; its teetering, droop- 
ing head would fall forward, and it would be motionless 
in death. Then again, when one would cunningly sneak 
off, with its bill just out of water, looking like a floating 
stick , how he did like to bury that bill with a charge of 
6’s from his choke-bore. One fell winged, not over twenty 
feet from us. Alas! it moved. Away went that gun 
again before I could stop him, and the head and upper 
portion of the neck were cut off slick and clean. I de- 
murred to this proceeding; but he constituted himself 
judge, said the question wouldn’t admit of argument, 
overruled my demurrer, and as at that time he consid 
ered himself a court of last resort, I didn’t even take 
any exceptions, but let the matter drop. He said that 
no duck should strike the water alive and get away 
from him. A few moments after this I shot another ; 
down it came, winged ; fell right in front of him. He 
was ready for it, and I expected to see it lifted clear 
out of the water. It was laughable to see him stand 
there watching for it, his gun pointed where the duck 
disappeared. “Give it to her!” I said. ‘ Well!” 
said he, “ that beats me, where in the world do you 
suppose that duck has gone to?” “ You ought to know,” 
said I ; “ you were just telling me that no duck should 
strike the water alive andget away. It’s all I can do to 
knock them down, without being compelled to watch 
them. See here, I will help you out this time,” 
and walking out carefully into the water, so as not to 
roil it, I showed him the duck, dead on the bottom, 
clinging to a bunch of grass which it had seized when 
it struck the water and drowned itself. 
