252 Sporting Sketches 



" Load duck soon," rumbled Batteese, and I 

 glanced through the barrels, loaded, and knelt com- 

 fortably, awaiting developments. Soon a quick 

 double-shot sounded from one side, and a long 

 string of fowl came speeding across the course. 

 " Red-head shoot ! " muttered Batteese, and one 

 dropped at longish range and was boated. As we 

 rounded a bend some hundred yards farther on, 

 Batteese whispered, " Can-vas-back-dur," and I saw 

 about twenty big fellows floating near the wall of 

 reeds. No mistaking the peculiar wooden appear- 

 ance of the long heads and proportionally long 

 necks, the latter stiffly erect and the heads looking 

 as though they had been stuck on at right angles 

 to their supports. With a quick roar of wings the 

 fowl sprang straight up several feet above the water. 

 It was a fair chance, and a bird fell to each barrel ; 

 but alas ! the second duck at once went under, the 

 other shifting about in erratic circles. This one 

 Batteese at once secured, and forever ended its kick- 

 ing by nipping its neck between his teeth the 

 most persuasive argument to reduce a duck to in- 

 activity. No effort was made to find the other. 

 " Canvas back dive no good look," was 

 all the satisfaction I got. The Breed's shrewd eyes 

 had noted the tipped wing, and he well knew how 

 useless would have been a search in such a place for 

 the master-diver of all our choice duck. 



" Teal dur," he presently warned, and I saw a 

 dainty wee green-wing standing close by on some 

 drifted reeds. That bantam surely had electric 

 flying-gear. It sprang like a cuffed grouse, and 

 through a double puff of haze " vainly the fowler's 



