428 DUCK SHOOTING. 



boat to the south of us. On he came, his dusky wings 

 seeming but barely to clear the ripples, heading a little 

 to the south of our neighbor. Then, as if seeing the 

 decoys for the first time, he swung swiftly in toward 

 them and prepared to pitch. A flash, a dull boom of a 

 heavily-loaded gun, a streak of white water under him, 

 and a cloud of smoke rising from the innocent-looking 

 fishing-boat, seemed to have convinced him that he had 

 made a mistake and a narrow escape, and had better 

 change his quarters, which he did in spite of the second 

 invitation sent after him. Straight in-shore the bird 

 went, and in his haste and fright, miscalculating the 

 danger distance from the in-shore boat, went down 

 with a rush and splash before a charge of No. 2 sent 

 at him. 



"Look out, here comes one straight for you; and 

 don't you miss the first bird for anything." "Where 

 is he? Oh, I see him!" Yes, there he came, swift 

 and straight as an arrow, for our stools. Stooping 

 low, to be as much out of sight as possible, I drew back 

 the hammers of my little gun, determined to make 

 3I drams of powder and an ounce of No. 4 do all they 

 could to stop this visitor. In an instant he was over 

 the furthest stool. Now steady, was the mental com- 

 mand to my nerves, as the gun came to shoulder, and 

 eye ranged down the barrels showed them to be about 

 a foot ahead. Ah ! now, then ! And there was instant- 

 ly a transformation scene, with a bunch of feathers and 

 a badly demoralized duck as the central figure ; a splash 

 in the water and a sigh of relief from C, whose "All 



