A MORNING WITH NATURE, ETC. 251 



the gun, and the duck would spread out its wings on 

 the water, gasping for breath, while the gurgling in its 

 throat would show it recognized the uncertainty of life 

 and the absolute certainty of death ; its teetering, droop- 

 ing head would fall forward, and it would be motionless 

 in death. Then again, when one would cunningly sneak 

 off, with its bill just out of water, looking like a floating 

 stick , how he did like to bury that bill with a charge of 

 6's from his choke-bore. One fell winged, not over twenty 

 feet from us. Alas ! it moved. Away went that gun 

 again before I could stop him, and the head and upper 

 portion of the neck were cut off slick and clean. I de- 

 murred to this proceeding ; but he constituted himself 

 judge, said the question wouldn't admit of argument, 

 overruled my demurrer, and as at that time he consid 

 ered himself a court of last resort, I didn't even take 

 any exceptions, but let the matter drop. He said that 

 no duck should strike the water alive and get away 

 from him. A few moments after this I shot another ; 

 down it came, winged ; fell right in front of him. He 

 was ready for it, and I expected to see it lifted clear 

 out of the water. It was laughable to see him stand 

 there watching for it, his gun pointed where the duck 

 disappeared. " Give it to her ! " I said. " Well ! " 

 said he, " that beats me, where in the world do you 

 suppose that duck has gone to ? " " You ought to know," 

 said I ; " you were just telling me that no duck should 

 strike the water alive and get away. It's all I can do to 

 knock them down, without being compelled to watch 

 them. See here, I will help you out this time," 

 and walking out carefully into the water, so as not to 

 roil it, I showed him the duck, dead on the bottom, 

 clinging to a bunch of grass which it had seized when 

 it struck the water and drowned itself. 



