Democratic enquirer. [volume] (M'arthur, Vinton County, Ohio) 1867-1873, 1868-03-12

NAAAAEI
retrieve them, the birds were coming
so fast. and his dog not yet at the Is.
land. After smoking, drinking and
talking until late iu the night, We made
up our hunks, and retired with the un-
derstanding that we were to have an
early start 10 the morning
Imagined / l had not slept 6ve min
utes when I found myself on the floor,
and Jack A. telling me If / desired to
go shooting I had better get my
clothes on. gave him credit for one
on account, mentally promising to pay
him with interest; hastily dressed in
shooting toggery; took good wash in
tin basin at the we'll, lone OF the In
stitutions Of the club, dug with hard
labor and scientific engineering, land
sat down to hot coffee, bread, and q
slice of cold duck. As soon as this
was dispatched we made for the boats,
hauled up OH fine beach on the north
end of the island. Having been as.
signed one which padded, ]
put my guns and fixings 10,
showing from shore just as the glorious
autumn day was breaking. l was
pointed good cover ON a small island o
fourth OF a mile north Of the club
house. Jack A. went on point op.
posite me, and B. still farther beyond
him, on the same bog. Landing on
the opposite side from my blind, ]
pulled my boat into the rushes, and
crossed over in sight of Jack who was
already in cover. The noise of my
coming started a myriad of mallsrd
from feeding. Swinging away beyond
reach OF my gun, they swept round
over the boat Of B., just getting into
cover, giving him a good shot. saw
one double up long before the sound
of his gun reached me, and q plash il
the water which not lug but q falling
mallsrd can make, told that his right
hand had not forgotten how to hold his
gun. had not long to wait after getting
into blind for chance to try my skill
everywhere the alarmed birds, disturb.
ed for the first time that season, were
moving about singly, in pairs and
hocks. Waiting In eager expectation
for clatter at them, I thought had
never seen more promising place in
my life for waterfowl. Whine Watching
the fight of birds and the varying col
ors in the east, the roar of BIS gun
reminded me Of what I was there for,
and glancing towards him I saw a pair
of mallard coming in direct line for
my cover. Shaking myself down TO
get everything in proper place, I
watched the game moving in q line di'
rectly abreast of my cover. As they
passed me not over thirty yards distant,
/ arose and let go at them. They both
dropped, you expect, dear reader; not
much-they laughed at me, gave a
quack, aud swung over towards Jack
A., who pegged one of them and
brought pillow of feathers out Of the
other. ..
"You shoot we'll, don't you p he
yelled over to me. "You are Just the
man we want here TO drive up duck for
u.s."
make duck" I answered.; and a
malIard crossing my eye in a 1irect line
with Jack, / pitched my eye on him,
knocked him over, and sent the spray
over Jacks blind, to say nothing Of
the shot, which he swears to this day
went into his clothes.
"How do you like that? you near.
sighted cussl" / beloved to him.
"There is some style in that shooting"
"You shot at me on purpose, you
cussed thief. and killed The duck acci-
dentally. You never killed healthy
bird in the memory of man," was the
ans er / received-again warned by
B., that active sentinel, always on duty,
and who never loses chance if posi-
BILE.
I stood to my post, and as a line of
wood-duck 'whizzed by ripped into
them, knocking over three quite dead
and wounding a couple more. Re-
loading, 1 fred again at another drove,
with but poor success; aud, in fact,
kept on going at everything within
sight, determined to waste as much
powder as any one, and try and bring
back some of the practice of days past,
/ did not, like the generality of writer's,
kill everything within fifty yards
Nth my pen, bat missed handsomely
with my gun about four shots out of
five When the call came for breakfast
| was astonished-in fact, rejoiced--to
be able to bag seven mallaPd and wood.
duck; and now, while the readers are
ruminating over the fact of sporting
writer who nearly always misses, Twill
go in with Jack A. and B. to breakfast,
and tell you in my next what happened
thereafter. -M1KE.-- Wilkes Spirit Of
fIa Ill.,