WILD GEESE. 263 
wild-fowl. On hearing it I seized the farmer’s muzzle- 
loader, and started for the pond in hot haste, hoping to 
get ashot at the birds. I reached it in due time, and 
found the boy’s tale to be true, for several species of 
ducks, from the stately mallard to the pretty blue-winged 
teal, and a large gaggle of snow geese were feeding in the 
water, which was quite shallow, or chattering contentedly 
to one another. These presented a charming spec- 
tacle, and their activity and noise contrasted strongly 
with the silence of the forest, which was then arrayed in 
its most brilliant autumn colors. 
Notwithstanding the beauty of the woods, I was ‘‘on 
murderous thoughts intent,” but how to put them into 
execution was, the next question, for the birds were too 
far away to enable me to shoot at them with any assured 
degree of success. While dodging along the shore in 
my efforts to get near enough to obtain a shot, I espied 
a small dugout concealed in the bushes, and this I pushed 
into the water, as its bow and sides were covered with 
reeds. Taking the scull in my hand, I was soon bearing 
down on the mass of feathers, and was in its midst in 
less than five minutes. The ducks seemed to think the 
craft was a floating bunch of sedge at first, for they only 
stared at it, but when they detected its true character, 
they rose ‘‘exulting on triumphant wings,” and attempt- 
ed to flee, but before they could get out of range I cut a 
swath through their ranks, and brought down two 
killed and two cripples. By the time I had secured these, 
every bird in the pond seemed to have fled, yet I pad- 
dled on in hopes of being able to get another shot, I had 
not proceeded far before I rounded a small cape, and 
just behind that I came suddenly upon two geese, which 
were sailing about in the most indifferent manner. On 
seeing me they attempted to rise, but as I was to the 
windward they had to come towards me. When they 
were near enough I blazed away at one, and sent it into 
