168 WARWICK WOODLANDS. 



and I was tired, and hot, and thunderin' thirsty, so I sets 

 down aside the outlet where the spring water comes in 

 good and cool, and I was mixin' up a nice long drink in 

 the big glass we hid last summer down in the mudhole, 

 with some great cider sperits — when what should I hear 

 all at once but whistle, whistlin' over head, the wings of a 

 whole drove on 'em, so up I buckled the old gun; but 

 they'd plumped down into the crick fifteen rod off or 

 better, down by the big pin oak, and there they sot, 

 seven ducks and two big purple-headed drakes — beauties, 

 I tell you. Well, boys, I vipped gun and tuck sight stret 

 away, but just as I was drawin', I kind o' thought I'd 

 got two little charges of number eight, and that to shoot 

 at ducks at fifteen rod wasn't nauthen. Well, then, I 

 fell a thinkin', and then I sairched my pockets, and arter 

 a piece found two green cartridges of number three, as 

 Archer gave me in the Spring, so I drawed out the small 

 shot, and inned with these, and put fresh caps on to be 

 sarten. But jest when I'd got ready, the ducks had floated 

 down with the stream, and dropped behind the pint — so 

 I downed on my knees, and crawled, and Dash along side 

 on me, for all the world as if the darned dog knowed ; well, 

 I crawled quite a piece, till I'd got under a bit of alder 

 bush, and then I seen them — all in a lump like, except 

 two — six ducks and a big drake — feedin', and stickin' 

 down their heads into the weeds, and flutterin' up their 

 hinder eends, and chatterin' and jokin' — I could have 

 covered them all with a handkercher, exceptin' two, as I 

 said afore, one duck and the little drake, and they was 

 off a rod or better from the rest, at the two different sides 

 of the stream — the big bunch wam't over ten roods off 

 me, nor so far; so I tuck sight ri^ht at the big drake's 

 neck. The water was quite clear and still, and seemed 

 to have caught all the little light as was left by the sun, 

 for the skies had got pretty dark, I tell you ; and I could 

 see his head quite clear agin the water — well, I draw'd 

 trigger, and the hull charge ripped into 'em — and there 

 was a scrabblin' and a squatterin' in the water now, I 

 tell you — but not one of 'em riz — not the darned one of 

 the hull bunch; but up jumped both the others, and X 

 drawed on the drake — more by the whistlin' of his wingSj 

 than that I seen him — but I drawed stret, Archer, any 



