TOLING FOR DUCKS JN CALIFOENIA. 227 



high, which was all in our favour. After an hour or 

 more a slight ripple on the water as it came curling 

 along to the shore, showed us a company of ducks 

 drifted inwards; they gradually floated towards us till 

 within about two hundred yards, when a most extraordinary 

 performance took place. The small poodle or "toler" 

 was released and presently began to gambol up and 

 down the shore for the space of twenty yards or so, close 

 to the edge of the sea-foam, Frangois occasionally throwing 

 a stick or a small stone hither or thither near the dog, 

 which caused it to jump about in the most fantastic 

 fashion, but without barking. In a little time the fore- 

 most ducks saw this performance going on, for they 

 began paddling down, heads up, towards the object, in a 

 state of wonder, no doubt. The rest soon followed, and 

 in five minutes or so the whole band of perhaps two 

 hundred were on the move straight to where we were. 

 The nearer they came the less demonstrative the dog^s 

 antics were, he occasionally crouching down and rolling 

 over and over, like a puppy playing with a slipper on a 

 hearthrug, till the ducks came within thirty yards of our 

 stand. Francois now told us to look out and fire when 

 he said " go.^^ All of a sudden, at a whistle from 

 Francois, the poodle jumped up two or three times 

 excitedly, when the company immediately stopped, and 

 turned their sides preparatory to going back. " Let ^em 

 have it,^^ whispered Francois, and in an instant four 

 barrels were in amongst them with the usual allowance ; 

 and as they got up, an old flint firelock, loaded with 

 about 3oz. of " Bristols,^^ which Francois held in reserve, 

 cut a lane through them like a rocket through a fog- 

 bank. The whole thing was done in about twenty minutes, 

 and was the neatest bit of murder I ever engaged in. I 



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