AND AMERICAN RURAL SPORTS. 
119 
from which a crystal of salt was extracted; and being 
mashed between two stones, answered a most admirable 
purpose. We now set about our meal in good earnest; but 
such a substitute for bread as was arranged before us — being 
made of Indian meal, but sour, and of the consistency of 
glaziers’ tough putty — no vegetables of any kind — the cof- 
fee thick, and no sweetening — were sufficient to appal the 
keenest appetite, and put a stop to further proceedings. On 
asking for sugar, the old woman said she thought herself 
doing very well if she could get coffee; sugar, of course, 
being a secondary consideration. After making a repast on 
such materials, hungry men not being particular, we learn- 
ed from the old woman that her son followed Duclc-shoot- 
ing, and was in the practice of selling his game to Mr. — , 
at the tavern where we put up, to which place he had now 
gone with some geese, as well as ducks. We determined 
to make our way back to the tavern, in the hope of meet- 
ing with and engaging him to take us out duck-shooting. 
After a fatiguing walk, we arrived just at dark, and had 
the pleasure of meeting with this sportsman for profit, ac- 
companied by his cousin, who followed the'’ same business. 
The first thing was to secure the remaining geese and 
ducks, which were left unsold, to our host, our game bags 
being in a situation to hold considerable more; and as to re- 
turn home without some proof of our being good shots, 
after going so great a distance, would only subject us to 
the jeers of our friends; we, therefore, speedily arranged 
this part of our sport, and then agreed with them to take 
us out the next morning, paying a full price for their trou- 
ble. The plan of our operations was, that one of them 
should station himself on Welsh’s Point, at daylight, the 
chance at that time being the most favourable, while the 
other should come for us in the boat. Accordingly, the 
next morning, we were up before the day dawned, and 
after breakfasting, our man arrived. The weather was cool 
and cloudy, which made it exceeding unpleasant to be 
rowed a distance of six miles in a small boat, without the 
ability of hardly stretching yourself in this miserable mode 
of conveyance. On our arrival at the Point, we found our 
man; but on inquiry ascertained, to our astonishment, that 
he had not thus far shot a duck, and had suffered the most 
important part of the day for shooting to pass by. While 
we were thus talking, says, “ There is a duck you 
can shoot;” he immediately fired, and the duck fell into 
the water: this seemed a kind of evidence that the fellow 
was not telling us the truth, and we began to suspect he 
had been shooting and secreting them. One part of our 
bargain with these fellows was, to pay them what they asked 
for their services, to furnish them with ammunition, and 
the game they shot was to be ours. We now commenced 
loading our guns, and whilst preparing for action, ’s 
attention was arrested by the elegant manner in which this 
man’s dog (a large half-bred Newfoundland) was seen, with- 
out any direction from his master, to go into the water, and 
bring the duck, and could not refrain from going up to him 
and caressing him, when he immediately attacked him, and 
bit him in the hand, and lacerated it considerably, the pain 
from which alone would, on any ordinary occasion, have 
had the effect to destroy his sport for that time. 
An innumerable quantity of ducks were now to be seen 
swimming in the river and flying in all directions: in fact, 
to those who have never been there, and witnessed the 
numbers which are oftentimes to be seen, it would be in- 
credible. Our men proposed that we should remain on the 
Point, whilst they would go out in the boat, and endeavour 
to alarm the ducks, so that they should fly across the Point 
where we were secreted ; and, as the dog would not stay 
with us, they would take him along also, and return in time 
to pick up any ducks we should shoot that might fall in the 
water. They had not departed but a short time before it 
commenced raining, intermixed with snow; but this did 
not lessen our zeal, as we soon had several fine canvass- 
backs down in the water; but they floated from us, and, as 
our men did not come in as they promised, we lost sight of 
them entirely, and so in a short time were lost many other 
ducks also. Towards the close of the day, a boat was seen 
approaching us, which turned out to be our men, and to 
compensate us, we expected they had been very successful, 
which alone could have induced them to play us such an 
unfair game, and leave us so situated as to be prevented 
from getting those which we shot, or from leaving the 
place we were on, without considerable difficulty. But 
judge of our surprise, when these caitiffs very gravely in- 
formed us they had not shot a single duck! Our suspicions 
were now confirmed, that they were not content with get- 
ting what they asked for their services, but the ready sale, 
and high price of these ducks, had operated upon them to 
conceal the game until we had departed. Impressed that 
no advantage would result from quarrelling with them, we 
concluded to make the best of it, and proposed to embark 
immediately, as we were wet, and almost perishing with 
cold; and after enjoying the pleasures resulting from being 
rowed back a distance of five or six miles, in our wet 
clothes, the rain and sleet pelting us all the way, we ar- 
rived at the tavern pretty well changed in our feelings with 
regard to the anticipated pleasures of Chesapeake Duck- 
shooting, and determined to start for home in the morning, 
after buying all the game the tavern-keeper had, together 
with that which we purchased before, and the little 
we had got secundum artem, being put into a large 
box, and taking special care that it should be stripped in 
such manner that the game should be fully exposed, we 
