The Wild-Fowlers 9 



But it proved to be a " 'tickler 'casion," 

 and the plump little bunch went right 

 smack into the wooden flock of floating 

 imitative fowl, and bang! bang! boom! 

 boom ! echoed over the water and up 

 against the side of the sloop. 



" Hooray teh yer, genelmen!" fairly 

 yelled the ruddy skipper as he stuck up 

 his shaggy head over the edge of his 

 dingy, just as three dead broadbills 

 dipped into the water and slowly drifted 

 in the tideway. ' Yer shootin' mighty 

 strong, fer fair; I ain't seed eny broad- 

 bill come inter a point a like that in sixty 

 seasons; who be a-shootin' that black- 

 powder gun ? you, Doctor Bradley, I '11 

 bet a bushel o' clam, rake and all. " 



4 Yes," cried the Doctor, flushed and 

 excited at so good a start; " yes, I 'm 

 shooting black powder, but just to show 

 Peritus the difference in the old and the 

 new brands, that 's all. Peritus got a 

 bird, Captain, the first as came down. 

 He missed with his first barrel I knew 



