1 78 Sporting Sketches 



And the old rascal bore away the fish, chuckling 

 immensely at the bare idea. 



When he returned they sat and smoked beside 

 the river for an hour or more, while Duckett ex- 

 plained how he came to find the woodcock. Finally 

 they sought the little log barn, and dog and all ere 

 long were sleeping on the hay. 



At daylight they bestirred themselves, and after 

 stowing away some excellent bread and unlimited 

 sweet milk were ready for the field. A walk of a 

 mile and a half brought them to the creek, and a 

 plan of action was speedily decided on. Where they 

 were the creek, or practically dry watercourse, was 

 perhaps thirty yards across, but farther up it broad- 

 ened in places to five or six times that width, the 

 enlargements being overgrown with tall willows, 

 while upon either bank was a dense strip of thicket. 

 In the spring this creek was a good-sized stream and 

 a favorite resort for wood-duck, but during the dry 

 season it dwindled to a succession of water-holes in 

 a winding stretch of rich, black mud in fact be- 

 coming what any sportsman would suspect to be 

 prime cock ground. 



Old Duckett carried a cheap " No. 1 2 " breech- 

 loader, and as he shot in his shirt sleeves and wore 

 an enormously broad straw hat, his tout ensemble was 

 not calculated to encourage the idea that he was 

 much of a sportsman. His cartridges were stuffed 

 into his pockets and he carried no game bag, but the 

 old boy had a knack of putting a couple of woodcock 

 into the crown of his hat on a pinch, and could stow 

 away a few more inside his capacious shirt front if 

 needs be. After admiring the handsome little " six- 



