THE DROWNED LANDS. 149 



The boys took the direction of the palm-tree, and we paddled 

 on together, getting up two or three birds. It was a pretty thing 

 to see Lou Jackson shoot. She had a light double-barrelled gun, 

 the same one she had used on the deer-hunt, and when the duck 

 beat up to the level of the tall grass and poised for his flight, she 

 fired with such accuracy that the bird generally fell in a shower of 

 feathers, amid the Doctor's laughter and merry jokes. He did not 

 pretend to shoot unless there were three or four ducks rising 

 together, and then he generally followed their flight, with his gun 

 to his shoulder, until, when a long way off, he would finally say, 

 " Too far," and taking his gun down again, give a sigh of relief, 

 and look around for some more game. On reaching the little 

 island we found Mike was there before us, and the negroes had 

 landed the provisions and prepared our simple meal. Yowler sat 

 on the narrow beach, evidently more melancholy than usual at the 

 unaccustomed nature of the sport, and seemed reflecting upon the 

 worthlessness of birds as compared with deer and panthers. Wag 

 ran around the limited extent of land several times without any- 

 thing but a solitary snipe that went " eskapeing " away, and then 

 returned, to worry Yowler. Jackson soon came in with a couple 

 of score of ducks, and we learned from him that the great body of 

 the winter ducks had not yet come on. There were no geese or 

 brant, and no red head, and he said, what was easily credible, that 

 late in the year a good sportsman could kill four hundred ducks a 

 day. 



" But I will tell you what it is, I have seen English snipe flying 

 over, and as we go home we will try some of those low islands out- 

 side, and get a dozen." 



" Much walking ? " suggested the Doctor. 



" No ; you can shoot from the boat." 



" I believe I am somewhat of a shot on English snipe," said the 

 Doctor. " I remember once killing a dozen." 



"You didn't have Lou Jackson in the boat with you?" I 

 replied. 



" No ; something a great deal worse — you were with me." 



" No, never — not when you killed a dozen English snipe." 



" Yes, I shot them all at one shot on the beach." 



