470 DUCK SHOOTING. 



than ten minutes when the whirr of the alarm clock 

 told us that it was time to turn out. We had to 

 go home during the next night, so we decided to make 

 one long hunt from early dawn to late at night. Just 

 before sitting down to breakfast I went on deck, and 

 found it very cold. A heavy, thick fog had settled 

 down on everything, dampening all but our spirits. 

 After breakfast we took every cartridge we could get 

 hold of, and started for the grounds, with instructions 

 to one of the men to join lis about four in the afternoon 

 and help us out with some of the game. The boat was 

 found in the slough as we had left it the night before, 

 and after rowing along till we came to our landing, we 

 tied our boat and started for the pond. The fog was 

 so thick that we could get no bearings, and having no 

 compass, the first thing we knew we were lost. We 

 walked first north, and then south, and then east, and 

 found no pond. There was nothing but high rushes 

 and mudholes and sloughs. We tried to retrace our 

 steps, but got more bewildered than before, and at 

 about eleven o'clock we sat down and waited for the 

 fog to lift. At twelve o'clock the fog rolled away, and 

 we found that we had been completely turned around 

 and evidently been wandering in a circle, as we found 

 ourselves within two hundred yards of our flag. We 

 immediately struck out for the pond, which we soon 

 reached, very tired from carrying so many cartridges, 

 but nevertheless full of spirits and ready for the rest of 

 the day's hunt. We scared quite a goodly lot of ducks 

 off the pond on our appearance, and were soon en- 



