Picked from the Prairie Province 257 



just seen it done, and that's enough for me." The 

 beady eyes twinkled, and the white teeth showed as 

 their owner slowly rumbled, " We go home 

 nudder way find dook in pond." Only 

 intense satisfaction could have released this torrent 

 of eloquence, which actually startled me. And 

 what followed seemed even more wonderful than all 

 previous performances, for he laid a straight course 

 for the invisible shanty, heedless of what lay in the 

 way. Compared with tracing even erratic channels, 

 it was something like riding across country instead 

 of following well-defined lanes, and more than once 

 I felt a trifle dubious concerning the issue. But 

 there was a method in his seeming madness. Right 

 well that wily rascal knew that between where we 

 were and the shanty lay several hidden ponds, his 

 own favorite potting places. Not for a lot would 

 he have revealed them to either Monroe or Thomp- 

 son, to whom he would have declared the route 

 impracticable on account of weight, which, while 

 false, would have sounded all right in the ears of ex- 

 perts who understood what extra weight means in a 

 marsh. The simple fact was Batteese wanted more 

 ducks, and while apparently humoring my desire to 

 avoid too much killing, he really was leading me 

 into temptation. 



" Beeg dook dur keep still," he whis- 

 pered, and I thought I might as well be ready. 

 Straight into the breeze to which the reeds were 

 whispering crept the canoe, and a something in its 

 wary movements warned that it was no ordinary 

 quest, yet we stole on and on for full fifty yards. 

 Then on the breeze came a murmur of peculiar 



