ii4 The Life Worth Living 



made ready. They were flying low in the 

 teeth of the gale. Now I could see their 

 long, black necks and snowy feathers around 

 their legs, and they looked as big as geese. 

 As they drew nearer, with every throat in 

 full cry, the noise sounded like the roar of a 

 fire sweeping a canebrake, exploding the 

 joints of two hundred canes a second! I 

 held my breath, and as they swept in range 

 about thirty yards from the blind, I blazed 

 away, bang! bang! I expected to see it rain 

 brant. I hadn't touched a feather! 



"Well, I'll be - -!" exclaimed George. 



I had the dry-grins, and looked down at 

 my gun to see if it was really a gun, when I 

 noticed my hands trembling like a leaf. 



"Brant fever," was George's dry remark. 

 " You must git over that, if we are to do our 

 duty here to-day." 



"I'll maul 'em next time," I promised. 



In half an hour another bunch swung in 

 and I brought down three with the first bar- 



