MARK RAST ! 



S. T. KARNS. 



Within sight of the sand dunes of Long 

 Island and Great South bay, are Smith's 

 point, Middle ground and Barn flats. 

 These, with places of lesser advantages are, 

 because of the prevailing South or South- 

 west winds, lee shores, and consequently 

 feeding-grounds for myriads of ducks 

 in autumn and winter, and shore birds in 

 the late summer. From the first of July, 

 shooting on Great South bay and Shinne- 

 cock yields good bags of snipe; and the 

 shooter who goes to Canoe Place inn, 

 Lane's or Ackerly's, for a week, is abso- 

 lutely certain of good sport, part of the 

 time at least. 



With the ducks it is different. For punt 

 shooting, arrangements should be made 

 about io days ahead, and the date positively 

 fixed; or it will be found, on arriving un- 

 heralded, that every punter is engaged. 

 Then comes the aggravation of hearing 

 reports of more successful gunners, and 

 seeing the puffs of smoke from their guns, 

 away across the bay. In consequence, on 

 your return to the city, you will stop at 

 Fulton market and grimly " put up " for 

 6 or 8 pairs of birds, to be sent to expectant 

 friends. 



If the sport is to be battery shooting, the 

 same preliminaries should be observed. 

 You are expected on the evening train. 

 The hack quickly takes the party, never 

 more than 2, to Capt. Ackerly's cottage on 

 the bay, for instance. There your supper, 

 always duck predominating, is served; you 

 uncivilize yourself, assume the duck shoot- 

 er's habiliments, and are rowed out to the 

 " cat." Then, off for Middle ground, where 

 anchor is cast. 



Four o'clock strikes. After a hurried 

 breakfast, the double battery and its 150 

 decoys are anchored; the shooters gingerly 

 flatten themselves in its coffin-like interior; 

 and, with a parting, " They'll see you be- 

 fore you see them, if you don't keep down," 

 the sloop fills her sails and quickly disap- 

 pears. You are left with a ^-inch plank 

 and 12 feet of water under you; but 600 

 pounds of lead for ballast, light canvas 

 wings and anchors, fore and aft, hold the 

 battery steady and safe. One's apprehen- 

 sion of a watery grave and no ducks, grad- 

 ually fades and expectancy reigns. Peer- 

 ing Eastward, for, the wind being South- 

 west, from that direction the flight should 

 come, one sees from out the darkness, steal- 

 ing softly up the horizon, a white mist, 

 paling the twinkling lights. As Fire island 



grows dim and its flashes less bright, the 

 white beach and the life-saving station as- 

 sume shape. Finally a golden rim appears 

 above the horizon. " Mark East! " and a 

 few black spots appear. Then their wings 

 are bowed, their feet drop, they tip up to 

 settle among the decoys. " Spat! Spat! " 

 and their careers are ended. The sport has 

 commenced. 



Thus it continues till noon; doubles, sin- 

 gles, flocks great and small; blue-bills, 

 redheads, coots, shelldrakes, with an oc- 

 casional mallard, brant or whistler. Some- 

 times a file of geese will give additional 

 excitement to the shooting. The Captain 

 blows his horn and beats up, when the 

 flight slackens, and we go aboard for din- 

 ner. Shooting is resumed at 3 o'clock, and 

 stopped at sundown. 



It must not be supposed that this is the 

 rule. Many times the signs and weather 

 will be favorable; but with the sun, the 

 wind will often veer and spoil everything. 

 Again, when the " rig " is out, the birds 

 are found " using " Barn flat, and a change 

 is imperative. At another time, from a 

 moderate breeze the wind increases to a 

 gale, and tin cup and sponge cannot keep 

 the water down in the battery. It sweeps 

 in at every plunge, and though the flight 

 is fine, self preservation is supreme, so the 

 sloop is reluctantly signalled. 



The greatest difficulty in battery shoot- 

 ing is to keep warm; but it becomes un 

 fait accompli if the following ideas as to 

 outfit, the outcome of 30 years of shooting, 

 are followed: 



A dark corduroy cap, with ear-laps; dog- 

 skin coat, and mole-skin vest lined with 

 paper — wind-proof. Mole-skin trousers, 

 buttoning at the ankle; army brogans and 

 2 pairs of long woolen stockings; good 

 gloves; fleece-lined underclothes; and a 

 piece of soap-stone, 12 inches square by 3 

 inches thick, to be heated and kept in a 

 padded cloth bag between the feet. A good 

 marine glass and a small cushion complete 

 the list. Eschew everything of rubber. 

 Cut a finger hole in your right mitten, 

 which should be large enough to pull on 

 and off readily. 



No flask? Bad! worse than 3 degrees 

 below zero! 



Given all these, with good gun and am- 

 munition, and an ideal day, a man is dead 

 indeed if his senses do not tingle at, " Mark 

 East!" 



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