OLD BUST-PROOF. 
25 
“ hundreds” of which, w'C had been told, were easily to be 
found. Stimpson, the energetic naturalist of the Vin- 
cennes, had also spoken of several flocks of quail; and we 
therefore looked forward to returning wdth any quantity 
of game. The purser had a shakj^-lookiiig seventeen- 
dollar American gun, that he had bought to destroy can 
vas-back ducks with on the Chesapeake Bay some years 
back, and I was provided in pretty much the same style; 
the only difference being that mine had been bought 
several years later, and for only fifteen dollars. We were 
jested unmercifully by the mess whenever we appeared 
with those dangerous weapons, and so always found it 
convenient to get off upon our hunts as quietly as pos- 
sible. This being our first attempt, we were off our 
guard, and came in for an extra allowance : — 
“There go the two Nimrods! Now we’ll feast on 
game!” exclaimed a disagreeably-loud voice, — so loud 
that the whole mess were at once upon us. 
“Just see how the purser shoulders old bust-proof!” 
exclaimed a sarcastic voice. 
“Habersham, you’d better -walk astern of old bust- 
proof: he’ll go off backwards Avith the first heavy load,” 
I'emarked a voice of friendly caution. 
“That wont make it any better for the purser,” re- 
marked another. “Habersham’s gun only cost fifteen 
dollars, and is warranted to shoot through both ends.” 
Through these and similar salutations Ave ran the 
o 
gauntlet of our admiring messmates, turned a deaf ear 
to all that Ave were not forced to hear, and, finally, found 
ourselves stow^ed aAvay in the stern-sheets of the dingy 
and out of reach of their attentions. The dingy Avas 
