DUCK-SHOOTING. 271 



by my belt. Away we went at a gallop through the 

 foaming though shallow river and thick forest, to Slow- 

 trap's house, where having safely deposited my charge, 

 I hastened back for the sister. I had now to think of 

 my own safety, as it would have been foolhardiness to 

 have remained near three women on a washing-day. 

 IJeing tired from yesterday's exertions, to take a long 

 walk, I decided on shooting wild-fowl ; so seizing S.'s 

 long rifle with a hundred balls to the pound, I sauntered 

 down to Porter's Creek. The number of ducks was 

 astounding. I lay down in a quiet shady place, and 

 only fired when a good opportunity offered, Bearsgrease 

 securing the prize. To be sure he frightened the others 

 away, but only for a time ; they soon returned, and by 

 the evening I had bagged thirteen. 



The two next days were wet and disagreeable. AH 

 we could do was to cut and stack wood. When the 

 sun again shone through the clouds on the moist 

 smoking ground, it was the 12th of December, and I 

 went again over to Curly's to shoot another deer before 

 the journey, if possible. Old Collmar was there 

 and a young man of the name of Martin, who was 

 rather eccentric; he was about twenty-five, and had 

 not a single hair on his head, lie used to tell extra- 

 ordinary stories as to the cause of his baldness, in which 

 he frequently got confused, when he would start up, 

 ru*h out of the house, and never show himself again 

 the whole day. .Sometimes when he was engaged to 

 work, he would steal away, leaving his wages, and 

 sometimes his clothes. We gained from him, that he 

 had married a wooden-legged woman in Illinois, and 

 had left her there ; but he told it in such a way that 



