THE BACK-WOODS AT NIGHT. 339 



the stars were out, so that I could have seen geese had 

 they come over my head, but not a sound of any sort 

 could be heard, till, all at once, behind me in the forest, 

 I heard the most melancholy noises, which I was sure were 

 made by a large owl. While listening to them, again the 

 beautiful wild cries of a considerable flock of geese came 

 on from the distance, and they pitched in the lake out of 

 shot, but just opposite me so near, however, that in the 

 stillness of the air I could hear them softly cackling to 

 each other, and dipping and washing in the water. Wal 

 lace then returned, and got back to my ambush without 

 frightening the geese, a proof of the darkness on the land 

 in spite of the stars above, so I sent him again to get be 

 low the geese, and to clap his hands to scare them, for 

 the chance of their wheeling over me. He did this, but 

 failed in any effect, the geese quietly swimming away, 

 and taking no further notice of the noise. We then re 

 turned to camp, and I " turned in " for the night. 



The next morning, just at day-break, I went to the lake, 

 for I could not devote another day to the fowl, and fired 

 both barrels of my Manton with cartridges into an enor 

 mous flock of common teal who rose more than a hundred 

 yards off. They were in such numbers, and so close to 

 gether, that it was impossible not to hit some of them, 

 and I knocked down five. t Four of these escaped by div 

 ing out into the lake, but the fifth being killed dead, 

 Brutus brought it to bag. We then commenced the march, 

 my resolution being to trot on to St Joseph, as soon as I 

 was sure of my route, to prepare things there for the re 

 ception of my establishment. Our way being through the 

 woods and along the river all day, the road simply a track 

 marked by a few waggon- wheels and the stumps of large 

 trees cut just low enough to pass under the waggons, the 



