84 



WILD FOWL SHOOTING. 



as if sighting the disappearing " crow," his right hand 

 firmly clasped the bottle, while with his left he com- 

 placently rubbed his stomach. 



" And this," said I, " is the crow you were so sure of 

 hitting ? " 



" Yes," said he, " This is the crow referred to. Look 

 at it." 



I did so, and saw by the picture that it was an old 

 crow, seven years old. I told him that from its looks 

 he had hit it hard. 



The ducks were uneasy, and while they would notice 

 the decoys, they didn't show any great inclination to 

 light among or near them. The wind blew strong, and 

 I found it necessary to shoot from one to three feet 

 ahead of them. 



Harry did but little shooting, preferring to see me 

 kill the birds. Once more I brought him to the scratch, 

 and felt satisfied, that since he had been so successful 

 in hitting that " crow" that his success there would em- 

 bolden him, and fill him with renewed courage, and so 

 it did. 



The ducks were now flying pretty freely, and I de- 

 termined the first good shot he should not only shoot, 

 but kill. We didn't have to wait long. A lone drake 

 came flying slowly over the trees, facing the wind. He 

 was in no hurry, only seeking the right place to alight. 

 He veered a little to the right before reaching us ; now 

 was a little to our side. No allowance was necessary to 

 be made for his flight, but it was for the strong wind. 



Harry was covering the bird. 



" Swing your gun, first on his body, then his head, 

 then a foot ahead of him as near as you can," said I, 

 "keep your gun slowly moving and pull." 



