PASS SHOOTING. 319 



pass, which I consider to be one of the most difficult 

 and exciting forms of shooting. High up in the air the 

 passing bird would suddenly close up, its head falling 

 back, and come down like a stone with an excellent 

 great splash. For the Chief, I can say he was diligent, 

 and often I saw him cut down his duck, sometimes drop- 

 ping it at his feet as he stood on the dry ground. Both 

 the Chief and myself were raw at first on the pass, but 

 after the flurry we got down to it and shot with our 

 average of badness, I suppose. All of us killed ducks, 

 many ducks, so many and in such mingled fashion that 

 for a time no one could tell whose duck it was that fell 

 out of the flight under the pattering fusillade. The re- 

 trievers were busy wading and swimming, and we, too, 

 at times, paused to pick up a bird or so. In half an hour 

 the flight slackened, and we stopped to take account. 

 Many of our birds fell back of us in the water, and 

 unless killed stone dead such birds were as good as lost ; 

 for they would dive and disappear as soon as they got 

 to the water. We could see that many of our ducks were 

 canvas-backs and redheads. I shall make it short by 

 saying that the first hurried flight did not last long, and 

 that during the day, which came off very hot, the birds 

 did not move much, Gokey very wisely declining to go 

 out and stir them up, as he said that would drive them 

 off their feeding beds and cause them to leave the lake. 

 The evening was still, and the birds did not move as we 

 had expected. Moreover, we were most of us tired and 

 sleepy, and not disposed to kill everything in sight. 

 After we had picked up our dead and found such of the 



