days of our youth ! lahuntur anni ! Make tlie most of 

 tliem ! 



We had hardly gone 250 yards and got the guns 

 loaded^ when right ahead of us, through the mist, we 

 saw a large flock of coots, apparently pretty tame. 

 "Now, sir, forward you go with the big 'un,^^ and 

 accordingly I went forward with the " musquetoon,^' 

 loaded with a fine dose of Bristol pills. Down we sailed 

 among them, and when about thirty yards off, I 

 delivered the piece over the bows, and fired into the 

 " black of ^em.^^ I forget the exact effect that shot had 

 on the coots, but I have a most vivid recollection of the 

 effect on me ; I found myself, gun, and it appeared to 

 me abouC half the rigging too, lying in the bottom of the 

 boat, with my right shoulder nearly dislocated. 



" Good gracious. Bill ! don^t load that infernal thing 

 like that again. How much did you put in ? '' 



" Only a handful and a half, sir ; them coots takes a 

 deal of killing. ^^ 



I couldn^t find out exactly how much powder he had 

 put in — probably a handful and a half also ; however, I 

 looked after the loading of the instrument myself after- 

 wards. 



After a little amusement with the cripples we went on, 

 having secured seven or eight birds. 



From our first shot we augured well as regards the 

 tameness and come-atableness of the duck, as coots are 

 proverbially shy. 



" Well now, sir, I think we had better go straight to 

 the sandbanks for a late flight before we commence 

 sailing down.^^ 



On arriving there we found all the best places occupied, 

 and the best of the flight over; however, I knocked over 



