THE DROWNED LANDS. 151 



bound to go it, or be a lazy cuss ever arterwards. Duck Legs was 

 no a'count on shore, but it larnt a man somethin' to paddle a canoe 

 with him." 



" Come, boys," said Jackson, lighting his cigar, " it 's high noon 

 now, and there are seven miles from here to the open water, and 

 seven more to Bonda Key, and two dozen snipe to kill on the 

 way." 



" And some more duck before we leave here," said the Doctor. 



" Mind your bearings now, or we will get lost here. There is 

 no palm-tree to row back to." 



"Take the range of this palm-tree, and sunset; purty good 

 marks, both on 'em," said Mike. 



" All aboard ! " cries the Doctor. " Push off ! " and away the 

 three boats went, leaving Mike watching our departure, smoking 

 away at his cigarette, seemingly as unconscious as his hound that 

 sat beside him. 



There were some good shots made, as we returned, at the 

 various bunches of ducks that were hid away in the close coverts 

 of the reeds, Lou Jackson, in particular, firing well, although her 

 gun was so light that the game though hit sometimes refused to 

 come down. We were a good deal together, as we were paddling 

 more to return than to get game, and only shot those birds we saw 

 on our way. Once, while paddling fast, a wood-duck drake arose 

 from an open pool, uttering his wheezing cry of " Oh hee ! Oh 

 hee ! " as he stretched away. Lou fired, and at the shot he 

 staggered and sunk for a moment, while a dozen feathers floated 

 away, and then he rose again. 



" Stop ! stop ! " she cried, as I raised my gun to shoot, " I hit 

 him! I hit him!" 



But the duck didn't fall, and continued his flight until lost in 

 the distance. 



" Oh, what a fool I was ! I forgot all about I had another 

 barrel ! And why didn't I let you shoot ? But I thought, to be 

 sure, he would fall." 



" Why didn't you shoot, Doctor ? " I asked. 



" Oh, I thought he would fall, too." 



To kill ducks well, a twelve-bore gun should be loaded with 



