216 AMERICAN GAME. 



mer down in tlie mud-hole, with some great cider sper- 

 rits when what should I hear all at once but whistle, 

 whistlin' over head, the wings of a whole drove on 'em, 

 so up I buckled the old gun ; but they'd plumped down 

 into the crick fifteen rod off or better, down by the big 

 pin oak, and there they sot, seven ducks and two big 

 purple-headed drakes beauties, I tell you. Well, boys, 

 I upped gun and tuck sight stret away, but just as I was 

 drawin', I kind o' thought I'd got two little charges of 

 number eight, and that to shoot at ducks at fifteen rod 

 was n't nauthen. Well, then, I fell a thinkin', and then 

 I sairched my pockets, and arter a piece found two green 

 cartridges of number three, as Archer gave me in the 

 spring, so I drawed out the small shot, and inned with 

 these, and put fresh caps on to be sarten. But jest when 

 I'd got ready, the ducks had floated down with the 

 stream, and dropped behind the pint so I downed on 

 my knees, and crawled, and Dash alongside on me, for 

 all the world as if the darned dog knowed ; well, I 

 crawled quite a piece, till I'd got under a bit of alder 

 bush, and then I seen them all in a lump like, except 

 t wo six ducks and a big drake feedin', and stickin' 

 down their heads into the weeds, and flutterin' up their 

 hinder eends, and chatterin' and jokin' I could have 

 covered them all with a handkercher, exceptin' two, as I 

 said afore, one duck and the little drake, and they was 

 off a rod or better from the rest, at the two different 

 sides of the stream the big bunch warn't over ten rods 



