The Wild-Fowlers 7 



still smaller craft, shoving it and the 

 towed dingy with a ten-foot pole the 

 " stick," as he described it to Peritus. 



The gunners were made comfortable 

 with rough gray blankets and hay; dead 

 grass was piled up all about their boat to 

 make the hiding-place as little conspicu- 

 ous as possible, and the troop of decoys, 

 numbering fully half a hundred, with an 

 equal scattering of blackduck and red- 

 head, were nicely arranged in the shallow 

 tide-water in front of the now eager 

 sportsmen. 



" Now, genelmen, I says es ye 'd bes' 

 not smoke fer haf a hour till we see es 

 what 's in this part o' th' bay/' were the 

 old Captain's parting words as he shoved 

 away toward the sloop. 



" All right, Captain," replied Doctor 

 Bradley ; " have a good meal for us at ten 

 o'clock some little-necks, bluepoints, a 

 baked cod, and a lot more roast duck 

 down, Peritus! What 's that bunch off 

 east, Captain ? " and the Doctor and his 



