, after having been confined all day, quacking 

 loudly at the loneliness of the place and at 

 ^^^- being separated from her mate. Beside me, 

 Snowy ^^^0 crouched in the blind, my old dog Don was 

 ^ trying his best to shiver himself warm with- 

 out disturbing the bushes too much. That 

 would have frightened the incoming ducks, 

 as Don knew very well. 



It grew dark and bitterly cold. No birds 

 were flying, and I had stood up a moment 

 to warm my half -frozen toes, when a shadow 

 seemed to pass over my head. The next 

 moment there was a splash, followed by 

 loud quacks of alarm from the decoy. All 

 I could make out, in the obscurity under 

 the ridge, was a flutter of wings that rose 

 heavily from the water, taking my duck with 

 them. Only the anchor string prevented 

 the marauder from getting away with his 

 booty. Not wishing to shoot, for the decoy 

 was a valuable one, I shouted, and sent out 

 the dog. The decoy dropped with a splash, 

 and in the darkness the thief got away — 

 just vanished, like a shadow, without a 

 sound. 



