134 WILD FOWL SHOOTING. 



helping them along. They see the decoys. Let them 

 pass, I will cluck and they will return and alight against 

 the wind. Here they come ! Give it to them ! Six 

 down! Shoot that cripple quick. That's it. And 

 you were none too soon either. He only straightened 

 up to see where the danger lay, and if you had let him 

 dive once we would have lost him, as he would have 

 gone clean over to the rushes, and then would have 

 been safe. Here comes a single one. Hold well ahead 

 and under ; his wings are set, and he is coming down 

 quite fast. See how dead you can kill him. Didn't 

 kill him very dead, did you, with the first barrel ? You 

 overshot it, but then your second barrel redeemed you. 

 It is a Gadwell or gray duck. It took two shells, but 

 if you can bag a duck using two shells on an average, 

 you are a good duck shot. It can be done over decoys, 

 but in no other way. Bless me ! I came near missing 

 it, shot a trifle behind; it wasn't over twenty yards 

 from us. I saw Don's eyes sparkling, and, following the 

 direction he was looking, I saw a pair of red feet right 

 over the water, a young mallard drake. Many and 

 many a duck have I shot in this manner, my attention 

 being called to it by the glistening eyes of my dog, or 

 his chattering teeth, as he tries to restrain his nervous 

 excitement. An old duck dog as anxiously notes the 

 approach of game as does his master. Here comes a 

 flock of pin-tails. Now for fun ! Don't move and I will 

 see if they can be called down. See ! They notice the 

 decoys, hear my whistle, and look at them come down, 

 like fluttering leaves. They must have been fully 

 eighty yards up when I first called them, ^on't they 

 come with a rush ? Shoot just as they are over the 

 water; fire where two or more are together. Hurrah! 



