34 “COME DUCK SHOOTING WITH ME” 
A pair of teal came in from the south along the same 
wing prints as the pintail, only they were not half so 
suspicious. They did not swing around outside the 
point as the pintail did, but came steadily onward and 
with bowed motionless wings circled right in. When 
opposite the place where my campstool was slowly sink- 
ing in the mud, both lined up one before the other. 
Three birds down for two shells was a very decent start. 
Fifteen minutes later another teal came flying from 
far out on the lake. He was passing a hundred yards 
distant when Jimmy gave him a couple of whistles. 
The teal turned and headed for the big flock of mud 
decoys. Hewas rather high up but just before reaching 
the decoys he made a downward swoop, evidently to seeif 
he was acquainted with any of them. They were all'total 
strangers and not liking their appearance hebeganmount- 
ing upward when I fired and he came down for keeps. 
It was slow shooting for some time after that. There 
was very little wind and the ducks seemed contented 
to stay where they were. Jimmy waded out, gathered 
the fallen ducks, and stuck them up on stakes just 
outside the mud decoys so they would show up as prom- 
inently as possible. Jimmy was full of conversation 
when he returned. 
‘I’m almost ashamed to tell you,’’ he began, ‘‘the 
trick Blue Eyes played onme. I wasa good deal peeved 
about it at the time but it’s too good to keep.”’ 
‘“What was it?”’ I asked. 
“Well, you know I tried to fool him about those green 
frogs; now listen to what he did to me. 
““A little while after I finished the frog story we 
rowed up to the sink box where Blue Eyes was to shoot. 
It was the smallest on the lake, three feet by two and 
a half, and three feet deep. I reckoned it would tangle 
