100 A RAID AMONG THE SWANS. 



seen with his own eyes the closely-intertangled thickets 

 which flourish in the marshy alluvial lands of the United 

 States, to form an exact idea of the difficulties to be 

 surmounted by the hunter in pursuit of his favourite 

 sport. 



It is impossible to clear a path by felling them ; all you 

 can do is to glide, as best you may, between the looser 

 branches, pushing them aside with one hand, and with 

 the other defending yourself against the mosquitoes, 

 which attack you in compact battalions, and menace you 

 with a sting not less venomous than a bee's. It was in 

 the midst of such impediments, diversified by perilous 

 leaps over muddy and bottomless swamps, treacherously 

 covered with green confervae, that we reached the border 

 of the lake, called " Mussel Shoal." 



What an emotion what a surprise for an European 

 hunter ! Before me hundreds of swans were floating, 

 swans as w^hite as snow ; swans with necks arched grace- 

 fully above their wings ; swans with coiled-up necks, 

 and rounded wings, and right leg extended, drifting 

 slowly before a gentle breeze, and warming themselves in 

 the rays of the mid-day sun. No sooner did they catch 

 sight of us than they retreated to the opposite side of 

 the lake, exhibiting a not unnatural apprehension. But, 

 alas ! their flight was vain. So skilfully was the attack 

 of the Redskins combined, that, on the other border of 

 " Mussel Shoal," they fell in scores under the fire of the 

 hunters. Seeking to avoid the rifles of one party, they 

 came within range of those of another, and not a shot 

 failed to find its mark. 



My readers will understand the delight I experienced 



