ANECDOTES. 195 



sport, killing two or three birds every time I fired; 

 sometimes many more. In this manner several 

 hours passed away very pleasantly. I calculated 

 that I had killed about a hundred, when I thought 

 it high time to give up, as evening was near 

 approaching On looking about for the fleet of 

 boats, to my great suprise they were not in sight ; 

 a fair wind having sprung up, they had given 

 up tracking, and sailed on before the wind at a 

 rapid rate. It was impossible to overtake them, 

 and I probably might not reach their halting 

 place by morning by rowing or tracking against 

 the stream, and we had no sail for the boat: 

 the boatman suggested the idea of rigging out a 

 sail with his and the HarcarraJis blankets fast- 

 ened to one of the oars, which was immediately 

 done; it was not long hoisted before a sudden 

 gust of wind upset the boat which was exceedingly 

 narrow ; luckily for us we had not got into deep 

 water ; the guns were saved, but rendered useless by 

 all the powder being spoiled ; and I had the morti- 

 fication to see the ducks and boat float down the 

 river before us without the smallest hope of re- 

 covering them. We were obliged to wade through 

 water and mud up to our necks for nearly a mile, 

 and by the time we reached the shore, night had 

 set in ; we travelled all night along the banks of 



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