AUDUBON AND BOONE, 143 
shrubbery of mangroves, we beheld, right before us, a multi- 
tude of pelicans. A discharge of artillery seldom produced 
more effect ;—the dead, the dying, and the wounded, fell 
from the trees upon the water, while those unscathed flew 
streaming through the air in terror and dismay. “There,” 
said he, “did not I tell you so; is it not rare sport?’ The 
birds, one after another, were lodged under the gunwales, 
when the pilot desired the Captain to order the lads to pull 
away. Within about half a mile we reached the extremity 
of the Key. “Pull away,” cried the pilot, “never mind them 
on the wing, for those black rascals don’t mind a little firing 
—now, boys, lay her close under the nests.” And there we 
were, with four hundred cormorants’ nests over our heads. 
The birds were sitting, and when we fired, the number that 
dropped as if dead and plunged into the water was such, that 
I thought by some unaccountable means or other we had 
killed the whole colony. You would have smiled at the loud 
laugh and curious gestures of the pilot. “Gentlemen,” said 
he, “almost a blank shot!” And so it was, for, on following 
the birds as one after another peeped up from the water, we 
found only a few unable to take to wing. “Now,” said the 
pilot, “had you waited until I had spoken to the black vil- 
lains, you might have killed a score or more of them.” On 
inspection, we found that our shots had lodged in the tough 
dry twigs of which these birds form their nests, and that we 
had lost the more favorable opportunity of hitting them, by 
not waiting until they rose. ‘Never mind,” said the pilot, 
“Cif you wish it, you may load the Lady of the Green Mantle* 
with them in less than a week. Stand still, my lads; and 
now, gentlemen, in ten minutes you and I will bring down 
a score of them.” And so we did. As we rounded the 
island, a beautiful bird of the species called Peale’s Egret, 
came up and was shot. We now landed, took in the rest of 
os Soe a= 
* The name given by the wreckers and smugglers to the Marin. 
