R EC RE A TION. 



425 



away, either on the prairie or in the 

 water. Those falling on the prairie were 

 picked up by our driver ; the others 

 would strike with a splash, rebound and 

 make a long skip over the water, when 

 the retrievers would dash in and swim 

 for them. 



Now the wind has lulled, the sun has 

 set, daylight has passed into twilight. 

 The mallards have dropped to a height 

 of only about 30 yards, and are strag- 

 gling up the slough in rapid succession. 

 I know I can hit them at that height 

 and once more wade out waist deep, and 

 take my place abreast of my friends. 

 This is like a dream of shooting, except 

 that in dreams your gun never fires, or 

 never shoots strong enough to kill. We 

 scarcely have time to reload. From the 

 three guns the ducks are falling in every 

 direction, two or three every minute. 

 The dogs start to retrieve one only to 

 release it for another that has fallen 

 nearer to them. They become confused 

 and exhausted. The fading after-glow 

 makes the scene weird, yet enchanting. 

 The forms of the mallards are almost 

 invisible in the dusk of evening, yet on 

 they come and go, traced now only by 

 the music from their wings. Our cart- 

 ridges are exhausted. We collect and 

 count the result — 52 fowls. We proba- 

 bly left as many more dead in the grass 

 and on the water. 



The next morning we drove several 

 miles farther down the meadows and 

 observed large numbers of ducks and 

 geese feeding in the sloughs ; but the 

 day was fine and there was no flight. 

 We were sportsmen and did not like 

 shooting them as they rose from the 

 water. We again separated and en- 

 deavored to get the game to moving. 

 Three mallards — a green-head and two 



females — came directly over me, quite 

 70 yards high. I of course tried to kill 

 the drake. I led him about eight feet. 

 To my surprise down came one of the 

 hens, about four feet behind him, per- 

 fectly dead. There was the mystery of 

 my missing at long range. I corrected 

 the error at once and commenced killing. 

 We drove about the meadows most of 

 the day, enjoying the splendid surround- 

 ings. Lunch, spread on a small island, 

 and presided over by Mrs. K., possessed 

 attractions which are still fresh in my 

 memory. Most of the chance shots 

 which we got while driving about were, 

 I think, given to me, as I was still 

 treated somewhat as a guest. Once, a 

 bunch of mallards came over, when 

 Percy and I both leaped out of the 

 wagon. They were so high that he did 

 not shoot. Two were flying close 

 together. I led them a considerable 

 distance and fired. To my surprise they 

 both fell dead on the prairie. My gun 

 had improved. Another lone green- 

 head was coming over like a bullet. 

 Percy and I were standing together. 

 Pie gave me first shot, and the old drake 

 folded his wings and almost fell into the 

 wagon. 



At twilight we again had a good flight 

 and fine shooting. We collected 107 

 ducks from the day's shoot. Percy 

 brought in the largest number, but he 

 would not tell how many of his Mrs. 

 K killed. Relying on the inefficiency 

 of her gun, he had loaded her cartridges 

 this time, with shot, and felt too cha- 

 grined to acknowledge the result. I 

 therefore credit his brother with the 

 greatest number, himself second, myself 

 third. There is no telling how many 

 Mrs. K. killed. She was too modest to 

 say. 



If thou art worn and hard beset 



With sorrows, that thou would'st forget, 



If thou would'st read a lesson, that will keep 



Thy heart from fainting and thy soul from sleep, 



Go to the woods and hills ! No tears 



Dim the sweet look that Nature wears. 



Longfellow. 



