210 THE BLUE- WINGED TEAL. 



powered, to have shared in the theft of all the property 

 I had, making his own terms with my assailants irrespect 

 ive of any interests of mine. 



Having heard all Mr Canterall had to say, I resolved 

 to take him into my counsels no more, but to keep my 

 line of march as much to myself as possible, issuing 

 orders merely for the day. With these resolutions, I cast 

 Chance off again for game, and ere noon added three 

 prairie grouse and a dotterel to my larder. I saw a few 

 large plovers, and had a long shot at them, but without 

 success. The day being again intensely hot, we halted to 

 refresh the mules and to give my men their dinners at 

 noon at "Rock Creek," a running stream of larger dimen 

 sions than any of those on whose banks I had hitherto 

 encamped. We were busy with our outspanning arrange 

 ments, when one of the men, who had been to fetch some 

 water, came back to say that there were wildfowl in the 

 brook; so, taking Pape's shot-gun and Brutus, I crept 

 down the bank of the creek, and soon saw four blue- 

 winged teal seated pluming themselves on the brink of 

 a shallow part of the stream, when, having achieved an 

 easy distance for a shot, I killed a couple of them with the 

 first barrel, and one with the second ; and Brutus was very 

 amusing in trying to get them all into his mouth at the 

 same time, so as to insure their capture ; having one quite 

 dead in his mouth, he did not like to leave the other two, 

 who, shot in the head, were tumbling deliriously about 

 on the surface of the water. This he could not do, so he 

 brought them separately; and more plump birds I never 

 saw. They w r ere larger than our common teal, and instead 

 of having the green or duck wing, that portion of the wing 

 was of a beautiful rich blue. Since killing these teal, I 

 have eaten (though I never shot one) the boasted canvass- 



