156 GAME SHOAL-WATER FOWL. 



the gun a second time, and the duck flew away, 

 quacking wildly, scared most excessively, but' ap- 

 parently otherwise unhurt. It was now my turn to 

 laugh, and 1 think 1 did so. Soon Ned had to join 

 in. AVell, we both agreed that such a completely 

 scared duck we had never before s^en. It actually 

 didn't know which way to go; there was plenty 

 of time for either of us to have fired a couple 

 more barrels at it before it was out of range, 

 and we could hear it quacking as though for a bet 

 and against " big odds " some time after it had got 

 out of sight. 



Mark ! By Jove ! I reckon " somebody's cut the 

 bag open," as the saying is out here, from the 

 way they are coming. Leave the hind ones to 

 my care. That's the kind ; load again as soon as 

 possible. Well, I'm ready. 'Way you go ! Two 

 more. Now pitch it into them coolly. This is 

 exciting, but we must keep steady. Let this large 

 flock light. It isn't exactly sportsmanlike, I think 

 myself, but it is often excused in duck-shooting. 

 When you can get three or four in range, blaze 

 away ; don't wait for me. Quiet, now ; don't move. 

 Bang, bang, ba — bang ! There, Jack, is work for 

 you. Four, five, six, seven dead and three crip- 

 ples, and only four escape. This is slaughter. 



