THE BATTUE ON BOKDA KEY. 193 



and. his hands in the side pockets of his shooting- 

 jacket. 



" How many did you shoot, Poke ?" 



" I think I shot all of them, for I fired ait everything, 

 only may be I did not kill ; but I contend the sport is as 

 good if you get the shots." 



" What did you kill at your first shot, Lou ?" inquired 

 Jackson. 



" That young buck. Don't you see my buckshot ? they 

 are scattered over a hand's breath of distance." 



" I fired at some ducks, getting up out of the pond," 

 said the Doctor. 



" What kind of ducks ?" 



" There's one of them," he replied, tugging at a mal- 

 lard drake he had stowed in his pocket. 



" Ha ! I am glad to see that ; he is one of the first of 

 the winter migration. Wait for the big nights, and we 

 will see sport. Come, boys, off with that wolf's skin, we 

 don't want his carcase at the camp, and so with the bear, 

 too, I reckon." 



But the negroes pleaded for the bear's meat, and it 

 was concluded to carry him to camp. So the boats were 

 pulled up opposite the place where the game was lying, 

 and while a couple of the negroes were skinning the gaunt- 

 looking brute that I had so successfully disabled, the rest 

 carefully loaded the two canoes with the game, and when 

 the wolf was disrobed, two negroes taking their places in 

 the stern of each boat, gaily started on their return. We 

 all followed the canoes, taking the line of the beach, laugh- 



9 



