xxiv THE WAPITI 405 



presented my hostess with a couple of ducks. I was in a state of 

 natural despondency, when I observed high in air a flock of wild- 

 fowl, probably disturbed by our fishermen, which, from the circular 

 direction of their flight, evidently intended to alight somewhere 

 among the willows. In a few minutes my conjectures proved 

 correct, and I marked them down as nearly as possible near a 

 clump of large cotton-wood trees that grew on the margin of the 

 stream about a quarter of a mile distant. 



With the greatest caution I approached the spot. The river 

 had formed several pools, which resembled small ponds of 50 or 

 60 yards diameter, among the willows. Carefully wading to avoid 

 the sound of splashing, I worked my way through this excellent 

 cover from pool to pool, when to my intense delight I saw a flock 

 of about a dozen widgeon within 40 yards of me ; they were 

 huddled together, and offered exactly the character of mark that I 

 desired when shooting for the pot. I fired into the centre of these 

 unsuspecting birds, and five lay either dead or kicking upon the 

 surface ; another fell to my left-hand barrel. Instead of rushing 

 forward to secure them, I reloaded instantly, as I expected that 

 the remainder of the flock would swoop over those which were 

 still struggling. This they immediately did, and offered a splendid 

 shot, two more falling to a right and left. 



This was indeed good fortune. I hunted up and secured all 

 my widgeon ; and twisting a delicate osier, I tied them in two 

 bundles of four each, and trudged towards home, enjoying in 

 anticipation the delight that such an addition would be to our good 

 hostess. 



Late in the afternoon there was a cry of distress. We had all 

 been so thoroughly engaged, including the Dane and his wife 

 (who did the cooking), that no one had missed the red-faced child. 

 The frantic mother had now discovered that her two-years-old boy 

 had disappeared. This was a mysterious announcement, as it 

 seemed impossible that anything could disappear upon an open 

 prairie. Everybody was rushing about in all directions, and the 

 mother at length became hysterical and began to scream. There 

 were no wolves, and there was no possibility of any hurt befalling 

 the child, unless it had gone away and fallen into a pit. At length 

 we perceived Peters returning from the prairie with a bundle in 

 his arms. He had found the vermilion-coloured boy sitting in 

 a running stream nearly half a mile from the house, in which 

 he would probably have been drowned had not his screams been 

 heard by Peters, who had searched in that direction. The tumult 

 ceased. 



