RFXREATION. 



Volume III. 



JULY, 1895. 



O. O. SHIELDS (COQUINA), Editor and Manager. 



Number 



The AniericanNews Co., Agents for the U. S. and Canada. The International News Co., General Apents for Europe 



ne, Loudon, E. C, England ; Stephanstrasse is, Leipsig, Ueruuuiy. 



Offices : Breams Buildings, Chancery Lane, 



WOODCOCK ON THE ISLANDS. 



F. W. G. Johnson. 



The first of September was at hand, 

 and the Colonel and myself had 

 decided to devote it to the 

 woodcock. „ 



The Colonel's portable shooting cabin 

 was already set up on an island some 

 four miles from our shooting ground 

 {which was itself a large island) — the 

 meeting place settled on being about 

 six miles from the town where I was then 

 living. 



Five o'clock on the appointed morn- 

 ing found us in the kitchen, satisfying 

 the inner man. Thirty minutes later I 

 was at the boat house trying to awaken 

 the man who kept the key of the shed 

 where oars and sails were stored. At 

 last the skiff was pushed off into the 

 sluggish current of the Richelieu river, 

 the sail hoisted, and with a hearty " bon 

 voyage " from the boatman, I was off 

 on my first shooting trip of that season. 



It was was only a few hundred yards 

 to the broad St. Lawrence and we were 

 soon gliding quietly on its bosom, steer- 

 ing to get the benefit of the current. 



A large ocean steamer rounded the 

 bend, a mile above, and, leaning lazily 

 against the weather coaming I lit my pipe 

 and watched the wall of white water 

 thrown from her bows, speculating as to 

 where she would pass me. 



Suddenly a puff of wind from the 

 southwest heeled us gently over. An- 

 other and another, till the white caps 

 covered the erstwhile placid surface of 

 the river, and the uneasy movements 

 of the gentle-eyed setter warned me it 

 was time to reef, if I didn't want a sick 

 companion. 



Hardly was sail shortened, and the 

 skiff squared away again on her course, 

 ere the mighty steamer passed 200 

 yards away, her bow wave catching us 

 and tossing us on its crest a few mo- 

 ments later. 



It did not take long to cover the six 

 miles. Just as the steamer's masts dis- 

 appeared behind the tall trees on Isle a 

 la Pier/e, we reached the meeting place, 

 and I let go the sheet with a run as the 

 keel grated on the sandy beach. 



The Colonel's skiff could just be dis- 

 cerned coming out of the Chenal du 

 Moine, a mile away. He had had a 

 heavy pull against wind and current, 

 but in spite of his 60 years, he has the 

 muscles of a caribou, and before we 

 could count a hundred he was abreast 

 of us and heading for a small opening 

 in the reeds surrounding the island. I 

 joined him and men and dogs exchanged 

 greetings. 



We entered the cover at once — big 

 trees, with heavy undergrowth of tall 

 ferns and nettles. An occasional hid- 

 den stump caught us on the shins, but 

 we can express ourselves fluently in 

 two languages, so that our feelings were 

 quickly relieved. Neither dog could be 

 seen under the great ferns, but we did 

 not let them range far, and could easily 

 keep track of them by the waving of 

 the undergrowth. 



It was not long before the Colonel'* 

 10 gauge spake, 50 yards to the left. 1 

 could not see him, but confidently made 

 my way in his direction, to get a feather 

 from the first woodcock of the season, 

 wherewith to adorn my cap. Nor was 

 I disappointed. We admired the beauti- 

 ful plumage, and, as we looked upon 

 the rapidly glazing eye, moralized on 

 man's inhumanity to the smaller animals. 

 Nevertheless, our hearts were soon 

 hardened again and we were off. Our 

 dogs were out of sight in a moment, but 

 we knew they would carefully cover 

 every foot of ground. 



Surely those bushes to the right must 

 be a favorite hiding place ! The ground 

 is clearer than usual in front of them, 



