The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1903-03-15

sinesr's gun. He was badly nustered
and when he pulled trigger the muzzle
was pointing 10 the opposite side Of the
circle from the bird.
Then he steadied himself and pulled
again, but the drake was Atty yards high
oy that time and went away on a level
and his eyes wide in astonishment.
D,d you ever see anything like that
NO. the Doctor answered promptly,
never did. That duck must have been
They had that day an experience utterly
new to them. The ducks seemed to he
feeding singly and some yards apart. Now
happen often.
Keeping perfect silence and walking
slowly, they did their best It VS., se!do,n
Each shot was a repetition OF that which
the Engineer had missed.
The b.rds leaped sometimes fifteen feet
high, sometimes thirty feet. but always
with immense velocity and invariably
they, spiraled widely. The sprigtail Is
slender and Immensely active and the
shot.
Once they got close to . hen before she
Jumped and by acc d mt saw how \ was
them view. The duck did not rise stralg ht
from the water. a. they had supposed, but
raised herself and huttered Tor q couple Of
feet.
Whom abe got clear OF the water and the
air under her wings she shot up AZ right
up practically straight. They observed
that whereas j. takes q mallard at least
two yards OF flight along the water before
II can rise, the prigtail accomplished this
In less than a yard and the single down
stroke OF the powerful wings mad great
effect In sending the body up.
The wide, weaving spiral was begun as
soon as the bird reached the limit Of It's first
leap. This was done evidently by de-
pressing one wing further than the other
and beating both Of them with almost the
thu. climbing crookedly made an exceed
ing!y difficult target. especially as it won't
UP with nearly tho speed OF a rocket.
The pair Of them missed bird after bird.
They reached q part Of the lake whereon
the ducks had settled thickly and the shoot
ing became fast. Often they were firing
at separate birds simultaneously. but they
could not kill them. II they took pains
ried they were away Oh the marks,
The Engineer lowered his gun at last and
looked at the Doctor, who looked back with
N.whst was that the Farmer said9- the
taller man asked.
ne ..id to hide the birds with the barrels
the Doct or replied.
Let. try Il. said the I'm gineer; Il don't
know exactly what he meant but guess
.One Of US ought to kill something soon,
the Doctor said. There's no chance for
an argument whore we're both missing"
Thirty-hve yards ahead OF them two
spriGtails lcaped. one going to left. one TO
guns They did not wait as heretofore TO
sse the birds and then put the muzzles on
them. They just raised the weapons,
hiding the ducks completely.
For all they knew they were aiming
yard or ten Yards above the birds, They
both stone dead. They picked them up
and looked at them with strong satisfaction
and found that both of Them hsd been struck
many times through the body.
sThst g the trick, isl , said the Engineer
well, we've got EN- now
rot 'cm now. Just throw up your gun and
shoot at the sky and wait for something
to come down.
They disco vered. however that the prob.
lem was not solved. They missed their
next hak-dozen shots through over SHOOT
otistomed man to probe the mystery OF the
nay approached . and Of some value.
however. when II became clear to them
that they must look hard at the duck. not
track Of he ieSpers until the birds were
hidden. They found. too. that the bird
muat be hiddsn by the barrels merely.
not bv the brooch or stock. After that
the did hetter.
The lake was not Inhabited solely by
spriGs, though they were In big ma.
FORTY. Now and then q heavy mallard
sprens With hoarse squawk. Being used
~ the sprirtaile, they were apt IN overshoot
the mallsrd. not giving II sufficient time
TO set up and steady itself. The Doctor
expressed the situation succinctiy when he
a mans got to know what kind OF duck
n IL by the time 1t sets out Of the grass.
You've rot TO hold differently for each one
or 'er'F In theee .wcrd he stated AL OF
the dificulty and charm ofduck-shooting
In such pond and on such q day
They even acquired . portion OF this great
art In the course Of an hour and found that
their eyes often told them Immediately
Ire variety OF duck which had arisen. They
found, too, that their muscies uncon-
sciously obsyed the Instructions given by
the Aye and they held above or very nearly
on. or shot immediately. or took pien'y OF
tine iust A. the occasion demanded.
Thcy had come TO . part Of the lake
vher. the srsss was quite two feet above
the Garfacs and very thick: II came. In
sact "a their waists II made . cover that
,hey could not see into and out Of which the
Th~v had 10, grown careless. for they
..s,sssed this rnass 10 disciose something
vorth shooting 1t Their guns were Cooked
and held In readiness
Not ff,s~n feet distant . sprig roee with
. ,nlshty hspplng Both hid hlm With
,hs,r suns aud Yet 20 They we're ~ Gloss
,hs, sems 81 the wsddlng went by the duck
Sl,hin ,hrse feet They tried the left
barr.s when the targ-' sss twenty y"rds
up aud rnlsssd again
4, ss~sned marvellous thai the hard should
.>.atur that storm of shot fhsy looked ~
one sneshsf blsnkly hoy sl.pped fre.l
shells into ths,f gum and stood stock sllh
NJ. lLs ducE . hi.s. 10 arsAr enh
,-.su,lful lsyeDdsf. vhns snd ida"k n,sfA'
,ns. sAIl,las 9Th good h,l.s had ts.a
asssd b, tbs tslloslIs r.psts - c.ass "a
u AID lsi We Lssi.nsg A,'sin,ns ,~,sh
Of fssg ysfas v kAd spsd ssa, aisishl
fo1 kan a lai<, than oHcied osssr IA aims
1870. snd asasd t.sek
n.sy sss u sAd ibs sane 'hoqSb' esiif
"a iIsm lnklnfly fsis he'd delivered
u,ls ilsI Lsi.as tlsy. .sy-ilsl -.
stsks ySw ,laas 'ls h'sl'''i 'S's
Dos, .. l..ss ss~ sss's, no na-'"