248 SPORTING SKETCHES. 



A DAY'S DUCK SHOOTING ON 23rd SEPT., 1893. 



BY D. D. 

 Quack ! Quack ! Quack ! Quack ! 



The "Great Rush Railway," desirous of "keeping up" its 

 reputation, landed us at our destination on Friday night over 

 half a hour late, but we had learnt from experience to be pre- 

 pared for delays and were provided with sandwiches, etc., a good 

 deal of the latter, On leaving the train we were glad to hear the 

 well known voice of one of our guides who had driven over for us. 

 He soon had our "traps" in the waggon and after a pleasant 

 drive we found ourselves at our destination, a small farm-house 

 on the banks of a river and the moon shining overhead in all her 

 brightness, or as the poets would remark, " The moon was full." 

 We were soon seated at a comfortable table enjoying a good 

 supper. After that a few words for the dogs, old friends, then 

 a pipe, with the usual accompaniment, whilst we completed our 

 arrangements for the morning. By 10.30 we were all in bed, and 

 except those who were too excited about the prospects of the 

 morning's sport, soon asleep. At 2.30 we were aroused, our 

 lamps lighted and in a quarter of an hour we were dressed and 

 looking out to find which way the wind came. There was little 

 of it and the worst we could have had, but enough to lift the mist. 

 A good drink of milk and a slice of home-made bread and butter 

 composed our first breakfast, and very soon we were in our 

 boots, each accompanied by his favorite guide and dog. There 

 was just light enough on the water to enable us to direct our 

 different courses up or down the river. The blackbirds in the 

 rushes were just beginning to welcome the coming morn. A 

 cock crowing on the shore, a bell at the village church, a splash of 

 a fish or sometimes a musk rat, were the sounds we heard as we 

 paddled along under the still starlit sky. In about an hour we 

 are all hidden away in our various " blinds," our live decoys 

 quacking as innocently as possible, and feeding away quite con- 

 tentedly, being well accustomed to being anchored out as lures. 



The " roseate streaks of dawn " were appearing in the east. 

 The finishing touches were just completed about the blind, I was 

 preparing to load my gun. My guide sitting behind me had just 

 got one shell of No. 3 in his, and was feeling in his bag for another, 



