LOST IN A FOREST. 25 & 



and tame, they being overcome with that languor 

 which makes them perfectly indifferent, and Avhicli 

 is so frequentl}' the precursor of bad and stormy 

 weather. In a little time my bag was heavy, too- 

 much so to be agreeable, and, considering that I had 

 committed havoc enough, I determined to retrace my 

 steps. Another and yet another duck would come in 

 my way, and presented such fascinating shots that I 

 could not resist, so that by the time I had returned to 

 the place where I first struck the water, I was com- 

 pletely loaded. Have any of my readers ever walked 

 two or three miles, with from eight to a dozen, 

 mallard ducks in the skirt of his shooting-coat ? If 

 so, they undoubtedly have vivid recollections of their 

 weight. If still a tyro, I advise you to make a trial, 

 as a new sensation will be experienced, particularly 

 if the ground is soft and muddy. I had scarcely 

 re-entered the sombre forest, when my spaniel found 

 some ruffed grouse, and treed them a short way off on 

 the left. A brace of these delicate birds would be 

 a most acceptable addition to a future dinner; so y 

 without hesitation, I struck off to the right, to culti- 

 vate their more intimate acquaintance. Advancing 

 upon them unwarily, the covey flushed, but flew only 

 a short distance. I thought my chances so remark- 

 ably good, that I would make another try, but again 

 the watchfulness of my feathered friend foiled me- 

 With a malediction on my lips, I turned to retrace my 

 steps, but for my life I could not tell in which direction 

 my route lay. To be lost, pooh ! pooh ! what non- 

 sense ! I was not still a schoolboy, and had been too 

 long cut loose from my mother's apron strings. The 

 whole thing appeared too absurd and ridiculous. Off 



