39^ DUCK SHOOTING. 



shooters, who — with or without a light — scull up to 

 rafts of sleeping ducks or geese and shoot them on 

 the water, creating havoc in their close-packed ranks. 

 When this occurs the watchman sallies out in his light 

 skiff, and, knowing all the leads and short cuts, he 

 usually has no difficulty in coming up with the poach- 

 ers, whom he tries to drive away. On two or three 

 occasions watchmen have been shot at by these gentry, 

 though no one has ever been injured in this way. 

 Several, however, have been badly frightened, and 

 more than one has given up his berth under the stress 

 of such a scare. Others, more courageous and wiser, 

 put a bold face on the matter and give back threat for 

 threat. Such persons the poachers speedily retreat 

 from and avoid in future, for your true poacher is not a 

 courageous animal. He does not enjoy a fight. Since 

 the shootings that have recently taken place on these 

 marshes the watchmen have taken to carrying shot- 

 guns and rifles about with them at night, and in the 

 future the night shooters may expect a little shooting 

 from the other boat. 



Besides his work of guarding and patrolling, the 

 watchman has little to occupy his time. Of course he 

 does his own cooking, dish washing, wood chopping, 

 and so on, and now and then he may be obliged to make 

 a journey to the mainland for wood or water or pro- 

 visions ; but still he has plenty of idle time on his hands. 

 Often he employs a part of this in trapping the minks, 

 muskrats and coons which abound on the stands. The 

 few skins that he may get he sells at the store, and the 



