AND AMERICAN RURAL SPORTS. 



119 



from which a crystal of salt was extracted; and being 

 mashed between two stones, answered a most admirable 

 purpose. We now set about our meal in good earnest; but 

 such a substitute for bread as was arranged before us — being 

 made of Indian meal, but sour, and of the consistency of 

 glaziers' tough putty — no vegetables of any kind — the cof- 

 fee thick, and no sweetening — were sufficient to appal the 

 keenest appetite, and put a stop to further proceedings. On 

 asking for sugar, the old woman said she thought herself 

 doing very well if she could get coffee; sugar, of course, 

 being a secondary consideration. After making a repast on 

 such materials, hungry m.en not being particular, we learn- 

 ed from the old woman that her son followed Duck-shoot- 

 ing, and was in the practice of selling his game to Mr. , 



at the tavern where we put up, to which place he had now 

 gone with some geese, as well as ducks. We determined 

 to make our way back to the tavern, in the hope of meet- 

 ing with and engaging him to take us out duck-shooting. 

 After a fatiguing walk, we arrived just at dark, and had 

 the pleasure of meeting with this sportsman for profit, ac- 

 companied by his cousin, who followed the same business. 

 The first thing was to secure the remaining geese and 

 ducks, which were left unsold, to our host, our game bags 

 being in a situation to hold considerable more; and as to re- 

 turn home without some proof of our being good shots, 

 after going so great a distance, would only subject us to 

 the jeers of our friends; we therefore speedily arranged 

 this part of our sport, and then agreed with them to take 

 us out the next morning, paying a full price for their trou- 

 ble. The plan of our operations was, thai one of them 

 should station himself on Welsh's Point, at daylight, the 

 chance at that time being the most favourable, while the 

 other should come for us in the boat. Accordingly, the 

 next morning, we were up before the day dawned, and 

 after breakfasting, our man arrived. The weather was cool 

 and cloudy, which made it exceedingly unpleasant to be 

 rowed a distance of six miles in a small boat, without the 

 ability of hardly stretching yourself in this miserable mode 

 of conveyance. On our arrival at the Point, we found our 

 man; but on inquiry, ascertained to our astonishment, that 

 he had not thus far shot a duck, and had suffered the most 

 important part of the day for shooting to pass by. Vi'hile 



we were thus talking, says, "There is a duck, you 



can shoot;" he immediately fired, and the duck fell into 

 the water: this seemed a kind of evidence that the fellow 

 was not telling us the truth, and we began to suspect he 

 liad been shooting and secreting them. One part of our 

 bargain with these fellows was, to pay them what they asked 

 for their services, to furnish them with ammunition, and 

 the game they shot was to be ours. We now commenced 

 loading our guns, and whilst preparing for action, 's 



attention was arrested by the elegant manner in which thia 

 man's dog (a large half-bred Newfoundland) was seen, with- 

 out any direction from his master, to go into the water, and 

 bring the duck, and could not refrain from going up to him 

 and caressing him, when he immediately attacked him, and 

 bit him in the hand, and lacerated it considerably, the pain 

 from which alone would, on any ordinary occasion, have 

 had the effect to destroy his sport for that time. 



An innumerable quantity of ducks were now to be seen 

 swimming in the river and fl3nng in all directions: in fact, 

 to those who have never been there, and witnessed the 

 numbers which are oftentimes to be seen, it would be in- 

 credible. Our men proposed that we should remain on the 

 Point, whilst they would go out in the boat, and endeavour 

 to alarm the ducks, so that they should fly across the Point 

 whei-e we were secreted; and, as the dog would not stay 

 with us, they would take him along also, and return in time 

 to pick up any ducks we should shoot that might fall in the 

 water. They had not departed but a short time before it 

 commenced raining, intermixed with snow; but this did 

 not lessen our zeal, as we soon had several fine canvass- 

 backsdown in the water; but they floated from us, and, aa 

 our men did not come in as they promised, we lost sight of 

 them entirely, and so in a short time were lost many other 

 ducks also. Towards the close of the day, a boat was seen 

 approaching us, which turned out to be our men, and to 

 compensate us, we expected they had been very successful, 

 which alone could have induced them to play us such an 

 unfair game, and leave us so situated as to be prevented 

 from getting those which we shot, or from leaving the 

 place we were on, without considerable difficulty. But 

 judge of our surprise, when these caitiffs very gravely in- 

 formed us they had not shot a single duck! Our suspicions 

 were now confirmed, that they were not content with get- 

 ting what they asked for their services, but the ready sale, 

 and high price of these ducks, had operated upon them to 

 conceal the game until we had departed. Impressed that 

 no advantage would result from quarrelling with them, we 

 concluded to make the best of it, and proposed to embark 

 immediately, as we were wet, and almost perishing with 

 cold; and after enjo3'ing thepleasures resulting from being 

 rowed back a distance of five or six miles, in our wet 

 clothes, the rain and sleet pelting us all the way, we ar- 

 rived at the tavern pretty well changed in our feelings with 

 regard to the anticipated pleasures of Chesapeake Duck- 

 shooting, and determined to start for home in the morning, 

 after buying all the game the tavern-keeper had, together 

 with that which we purchased before, and the little 

 we had got secundum artcm, being put into a large 

 box, and taking special care that it should be stripped in 

 such manner that the game should be fully exposed, we 



