WE FEAST ON WILD DUCKS. 
405 
fore, lesulved themselves into 'vvLortleberry-gatlierings; 
and I don’t know but that we enjoyed these latter as 
much or more than we should have done a bear-steak. 
This island formed quite a fine harbour with tlie main- 
land, and wc made a thorough survey of it before leaving. 
There were no signs of habitations either on it or on the 
shores of the adjacent main, the nearest settlement being 
a place called Armen, located some seven miles to the 
westward; and of it I shall speak shortly. 
On the second day after anchoring, and although it was 
well known that wc were to carry the ship to Armen as 
soon as the wooding and watering was accomplished, the 
entire mess, with the exception of myself and an engi- 
neer, took our lightest-pulling boat and started to visit it 
without delay : we had heard from our friend the whaling- 
captain, who had piloted us in to our anchorage, that 
wild ducks were as plentiful there as fish had been at Ola; 
and, having our appetites thus sharpened for game, the 
majority of the mess became impatient and started as 
above in the hope of obtaining a supply. 
They had a hard time of it, — much harder than any one 
had supposed at all probable, — and returned at midnight 
pretty well fagged out. They had had to pull themselves 
there and back, for the crew were employed fore and aft, 
and the first lieutenant, who himself formed one of the 
party, would not consent that tlie work should he retarded. 
They brought back with them, however, ample payment 
in the shape of sixty-three broad-billed ducks, four of 
which we had for breakfast, and as many more for dinner 
on the day following. 
Our friend the whaler partook of the latter with us, 
