THE BATTUE ON BONDA KEY. 127 



"I plead guilty to tyrannical oppression," said the Doctor; 

 " deal gently with me." 



" I fine you all one bear's skin, to be paid into the Court," she 

 replied. 



Bruin was dragged down to the beach, under the shade of a 

 tree, and the men were sent back for the rest of the game that lay 

 scattered about the route of our chase wherever they had fallen. 

 On putting them altogether in a row, it was counted : one bear, 

 one wolf, two wildcats, four deer, one wild turkey, one sand-hill 

 crane, seven raccoons, and hares without number. 



"Not a bad day's sport!" ejaculated the Doctor, standing 

 with his feet wide apart, and his hands in the side-pockets of his 

 shooting-jacket. 



" How many did you shoot, Poke ? " 



" I think I shot all of them, for I fired at everything, only 

 may be I did not kill ; but I contend the sport is as good if you 

 get the shots." 



" What did you kill at your first shot, Lou ? " inquired Jackson. 

 "That young buck. Don't you see my buckshot? they are 

 scattered over a hand's-breadth of distance." 



" I fired at some ducks, getting up out of the pond," said the 

 Doctor. 



" What kind of ducks ? " 



" There 's one of them," he replied, tugging at a mallard drake 

 he had stowed in his pocket. 



" Ha ! I am glad to see that ; he is one of the first of the winter 

 migration. Wait for the big flights, and we will see sport. Come, 

 boys, off with that wolf's skin, we don't want his carcass at the 

 camp, and so with the bear, too, I reckon." 



But the negroes pleaded for the bear's meat, and it was con- 

 cluded to carry him to camp. So the boats were pulled up opposite 

 the place where the game was lying ; and while a couple of the 

 negroes were skinning the gaunt-looking brutes the rest loaded the 

 two canoes with the game, and when the wolf was disrobed, two 

 negroes taking their places in the stern of each boat, gaily started 

 on their return. We all followed the canoes, taking the line of 

 the beach, laughing at the different accounts of the day's adven- 



