SEA SHOOTING ON THE ATLANTIC. 429 



right !" convinced me that the gun and myself had done 

 our work well this time, at least. 



During this little by-play of our own, the other boats 

 had not been idle, as dull, muffled reports from all di- 

 rections proved, and that they were meeting with more 

 or less success the moving and anchored boats plainly 

 showed. For an hour or so this continued. Then all 

 of the birds seeming to have found a resting place fur- 

 ther out at sea, where they were only occasionally dis- 

 turbed by passing vessels, and, as a consequence, not 

 giving the shooting that our neighbors seemed to think 

 they should, a general movement for the new resting 

 place of the ducks commenced. Our host called to us 

 as he passed "to come out-shore," an invitation we 

 hesitated about accepting, as the wind had increased, 

 and the gentle ripple of the morning had given place 

 to a decided sea, which certainly must be much larger 

 off shore. However, after talking the matter over, we 

 decided to follow, and getting in our decoys, com- 

 menced going out-shore. Our delay had given the 

 other boats a long start, and before we got half way 

 out they were among the birds, of which there seemed 

 to be thousands. Looking over my shoulder, I could 

 see them flying in all directions, some scooting close 

 along the water, barely clearing the seas, others high 

 overhead, flying in a heedless fashion from one boat to 

 another, or hesitating a moment over a bunch of stools, 

 and paying for their curiosity by the loss of some of 

 their number. 



For an hour or more the shooting continued, bring- 



