THE DEOWNED LANDS. 215 



ting them float by the side of the boat. Mike's canoe 

 dashed into the bushes and disappeared. Ours followed 

 one after the other, and when we lifted our heads from 

 the crouching position we were compelled to assume, the 

 boats all lay floating together on a large lake completely 

 land-locked, and cluttered up with reedy islands and 

 bogs of coarse grass, with here and there an osier nod- 

 ding among lily pads or floating scum. 



With the first exclamation of delight from the negroes 

 there was a rush in the water at one side, and twenty 

 wood-ducks, that had been under the edge of the bushes, 

 took wing so near us we could see their scarlet eyes and 

 hear their piping cry ; at the same instant came the 

 pleasant and long remembered quack ! quack ! quack ! of 

 the black duck, as a dozen of these clergy of the marshes 

 beat upward from the grass at our unexpected coming. 



I fired at one of the wood-ducks, and so did the Doc- 

 tor. Jackson banged away at the others ; but as usual 

 when in a hurry, there was not a bird killed, though a 

 dozen or more arose from neighboring shelters at the 

 cannonade, and after one or two circuits settled down in 

 the grass beyond. 



" Oh, Doctor, how could you miss that beautiful 

 drake ! I will shoot the next one myself," said Miss 

 Jackson. 



" Yon see," replied the Doctor, rather humbly, " they 

 were too near when I first fired." 



" And when you next fired, they were too far away," 

 said Miss Jackson. 



