AUDUBON AND BOONE. 143 



shrubbery of mangroves, we beheld, right before us, a multi- 

 tude of pelicans. A discharge of artillery seldom produced 

 more effect; — the dead, the dying, and the wounded, fell 

 from the trees upon the water, while those unscathed flew 

 streaming through the air in terror and dismay. " There," 

 said he, "did not I tell you so; is it not rare sport?" The 

 birds, one after another, were lodged under the gunwales, 

 when the pilot desired the Captain to order the lads to pull 

 away. Within about half a mile we reached the extremity 

 of the Key. " Pull away," cried the pilot, " never mind them 

 on the wing, for those black rascals don't mind a little firing 

 — now, boys, lay her close under the nests." And there we 

 were, with four hundred cormorants' nests over our heads. 

 The birds were sitting, and when we fired, the number that 

 dropped as if dead and plunged into the water was such, that 

 I thought by some unaccountable means or other we had 

 killed the whole colony. You would have smiled at the loud 

 laugh and curious gestures of the pilot. " Gentlemen," said 

 he, "almost a blank shot!" And so it was, for, on following 

 the birds as one after another peeped up from the Avater, we 

 found only a few unable to take to wing. " Now," said the 

 pilot, " had you waited until I had spoken to the black vil- 

 lains, you might have killed a score or more of them." On 

 inspection, we found that our shots had lodged in the tough 

 dry twigs of which these birds form their nests, and that we 

 had lost the more favorable opportunity of hitting them, by 

 not waiting until they rose. "Never mind," said the pilot, 

 " if you wish it, you may load the Lad^ of the Crreen Mantle* 

 with them in less than a week. Stand still, my lads ; and 

 now, gentlemen, in ten minutes you and I will bring down 

 a score of them." And so we did. As we rounded the 

 island, a beautiful bird of the species called Peale's Egret, 

 came up and was shot. We now landed, took in the rest of 



* The name given by the wreckers and smugglers to the Clarion. 



