CURRITUCK MARSHES. 135 



to deceive even the elect, but it is not an easy knack 

 to acquire. Usually such imitation stools look so 

 fearfully and abnormally dead, that they would drive 

 any duck, with the fear of ghosts before his mind, out 

 of the country. It is only the most experienced 

 gunner that can take such liberties with the dead. 



At the North, where the winters are colder than 

 they are at Currituck, it is customary to shoot in the 

 ice. No waters that ducks frequent are ever en- 

 tirely frozen over ; there are always what are called 

 "breathing holes," where the gunner can place his 

 stools, and which the ducks frequent for food. He 

 dresses himself in white linen over his other clothes, 

 so as to be as near the color of the ice as possible, 

 and he uses a light skiff provided with iron runners 

 underneath. This he shoves rapidly over the ice 

 without much labor, carrying his dozen or so of 

 stools aboard, and using an iron-pointed pole to 

 propel himself with. He has his oars stowed under 

 the narrow deck, so that he can row across open 

 water, and i.3 safe in case his skiff should break 

 through the ice. When he has reached the open 

 hole that he has selected, he throws out his stools 

 and cuts a place in the ice at the edge of the hole, 

 to hide himself and his boat, piling the cakes that 

 he takes out alongside of him, to further assist in 

 hiding him. The decoys he uses are black-ducks 

 and whistlers, which will stool to one another indis- 

 criminately. He must then lie down on his back 

 in the skiff, and no matter how cold he may be, he 

 must not move or stir. Though his blood chills and 



