70 THE ORNITHOLOGIST. 



we made out the outline of the buckboard against the sky ; 

 we were soon on terra firma with our clothes soaking wet. So 

 I instructed my assistant to hitch up his horse while I packed 

 the canoe and eggs, intending to drive back to the settler's 

 cabin to dry our clothes and sleep there for the night. 



As my man had disappeared in the darkness and been gone 

 ten minutes, I called out but got no answer. I then attempted 

 to light a fire, but the grass was wet, so I climbed on top of 

 the buckboard and struck several matches so my man could 

 see the light and find his way to me, for he had got into a 

 patch of tall rushes and could not find his way back in the 

 darkness. I could hear the rushes cracking under his feet as 

 he approached nearer, and soon learned that he could not find 

 the horse, so all we could do was to remain there until 

 morning. Unfortunately we could not make a fire as there 

 were no trees around for miles, and the grass and rushes 

 were damp. We leaned the boat against the buckboard, and 

 spreading our rugs alongside of the boat we lay down to rest, 

 but the mosquitoes soon found us out and came about us in 

 myriads, and we were glad to hide our heads under the rugs to 

 escape their bites. 



Just as we were dozing off to sleep it began to rain in 

 torrents, and the thunder and lightning were terrific. We 

 pulled the boat over us, and there we were crouched under- 

 neath it, feeling very miserable in our damp clothes, with the 

 thunder cracking over our heads. This was not the only 

 trouble, for the water began to rise from the lake and threat- 

 ened to wash over us ; but at last the storm passed over, 

 the rain ceased, and we fell asleep through mere exhaustion. 



At four o'clock day broke and I was awakened by the great 

 noise made by the birds and muskrats — the latter have a 

 peculiar scream — while several Bitterns were pumping close 

 to us in the Marsh, and all the Yellow-headed Blackbirds and 

 Red-winged Starlings in the neighbourhood seemed to come 

 and perch on the rushes around us and begin to whistle. I 

 crawled from under the boat, leaving my young companion fast 

 asleep, for the poor fellow was tired, having done all the row- 

 ing, and I spent three hours blowing the Pelican and other eggs. 



At seven o'clock I aroused my man and he mounted the buck- 

 board and saw the horse a mile away, and while he went after 



