THE DROWNED LANDS. 139 



them or say a word. But airly one mornin' I heerd that duck 

 settin' down by the bayou, quackin' away as ef he had the pip in 

 his gizzard (there comes a row o' widgeon now). Wall, I couldn't 

 see what 'twas that bothered him. I looked all around ; et was 

 coniin' on mornin' like, and things out was quiet, and every minit 

 or so he 'd set up on end, and stickin' his bill up like a musket, 

 would quack three or four times. As T looked I seen a tearin' big 

 flock of mallards cum from the north, high up ; they bore around 

 when they got over the cabin, and presently landed down by the 

 side of the wounded duck, and sich a goin' on and duckin' of heads 

 and gabblin' you never heered in all your born days. It was all 

 as plain as a bear's track. The wounded duck was waitin' for its 

 friends ; it knowed jist when it was time fur 'em to come to the 

 very minit, and sot out there to stop them." 



" And I presume the noises they made were mutual inquiries 

 after friends and the compliments of the season," said the Doctor. 



" Asking if there had been much ice in Baffin's Bay the past 

 year," suggested Lou Jackson. 



'* There comes another flock," said Jackson, pointing to the 

 horizon. 



" Blue bills, there 's a grist of 'em," said Mike. 



" See how they swerve one way or another ! Look how fast 

 they grow in size ! There must be ten thousand in that flock ! 

 All night they have been travelling and yet not weary ! " exclaimed 

 Miss Jackson as the flock came pressing on in a huge irregular 

 shadow, soughing like the wind, and keeping straight south. 



" Oh, you beauties ! " ejaculated the Doctor, looking up at the 

 passing mass of intelligent life overhead, with his mouth wide 

 open and his body gradually leaning back to permit him to see as 

 they passed, until his round little figure nearly lost its balance. 



" Thou shalt not covet, Doctor." 



" Mike, can we get some of them ? " 



"Reckon." 



" I think there are a good many on the Drowned Lands," said 

 Jackson ; " they have been coming on pretty thick, lately." 



" Let 's try them. I don't think the Doctor will look earth- 

 ward again, unless it is to shoot ducks." 



