IN CALIFORNIA MARSHES. 469 



drag the pond boat, full of decoys, to the pond. We 

 were not long in doing this, as we were in a hurry to 

 get back to the pond, and as the sun was approaching 

 the western horizon we were all fixed in our separate 

 blinds, with the decoys out, and shooting as fast as we 

 could wish. 



It being a moonlight night, we stayed at the pond 

 until about half-past seven, and then started back to 

 the yacht, having first hauled the pond boat out of sight 

 in the tule. Then, after getting our game together, we 

 looked at it, and then at each other, and then came the 

 question, how were we ever to get that load of game to 

 the yacht. Among the pile were five immense Cana- 

 dian geese, about three of which are all one man 

 wishes to carry. We also had about one dozen white 

 geese, a swan, and ducks, I was going to say innumer- 

 able. Well, we compromised. We first drew all the 

 birds, which considerably lightened the load, and then 

 each took a sack, which the decoys had been in, and 

 filled them with the best ducks; the rest, with all our 

 traps, except our guns and empty cartridge bags, we 

 stowed in the boat and covered with rushes for the next 

 day. We each then shouldered his sack and started for 

 our white flag, which we soon reached, and then, after 

 a short row, arrived at the narrow strip of land which 

 separated us from the yacht. We were soon aboard, 

 and after supper, to which we did ample justice, we 

 lost no time getting to bed, so as to be up and off long 

 before daylight. 



It seemed to me that I had hardly been asleep more 



