332 WILD FOWL ON THE LAKE. 



through the woods the track came suddenly on the end 

 of a large sheet or lake of water, when from my ambu 

 lance I saw that the swampy end of the lake by which I 

 was passing had a very strange appearance, so I pulled 

 up, exclaiming to my men in astonishment, " Why, what 

 are those ? " A steady look, and we each exclaimed, " No 

 end of fowl ! " On this I gave the word to " hold on," or 

 halt, and the next moment issued orders to Mr Canterall 

 to pitch the camp. 



This not being at all to the liking of that respectable 

 individual, who was in terror lest delay should reveal to 

 me his peculations, he replied " it was impossible to camp 

 under the trees, as there was not a morsel of grass for 

 the cattle." " Then go and buy corn," I rejoined, 

 " which is better than any grass, and let me see the camp 

 pitched at once, and no two ways about it." This com 

 mand having been given in a tone which the fellow saw 

 admitted of no dispute, taking my John Man ton loaded 

 with cartridge, I walked to within shot of some straggling 

 wild ducks, and killed a very fine mallard, which Brutus 

 brought me, and then what a cloud of whistling wings 

 arose to fly further away to the broader portion of the 

 lake ! Wild geese, ducks, and teal of every kind, all 

 mingled in one confused flight, cackled, whistled, and 

 winnowed through the air, and I retreated to my ambu 

 lance to get Pape's shot-gun, as well as my Manton, and 

 some ammunition. 



Having provided myself with these, and taken my faith 

 ful retriever Brutus with me, I started to go up one side 

 of this extensive piece of water, but ere I could reach the 

 woods on its forest bank I came to ^a corn-field wherein 

 the settler was at work. Permission from him was readily 

 obtained for me to go through his corn, when, having 



