The Indianapolis journal., 1903-10-03
THE DUCK CAME BACK.
Colorado Man Has Been Shooting the
Same Bird for Three Years.
Denver Post.

Denver Post.
,,t Il n got another shot at him Yesterday.
the candy man. to an old friend he ran
against on Sixteenth street.
Shot at who?" was the surprised re-
joinder.
mo who; it was an it, but call II him
the lone mallard; didn't ever tell you
about him?"
Never; tell me now"
why. the Lone mallard the big duck that
leads the charmed life, comes to the lake
on my Weld coun ~ ranch twice year and
teases me and flies away again"
First i ever heard of him."
well. be still and you'll hear some more.
In the first place, he's the biggest duck
ever saw-biggest on earth. and I'll bet
money on it, l saw him three years ago
no, two years and half ago-it'll be three
years next spring. / was out after ducks
and I'd rather hunt ducks than to eat"
'Or TO drink" inquired his friend.
Don't get funny. | said eat, but as
was going to tell you. am always hanging
about that lake during the season. and
from the south He looked as big as ture nr
key. and really, I'll bet he weighs twelve
pounds. and there's many turkey that
don't weigh that. He splashed down in
fioated up to within easy shooting distance
from the blind that / was crouching be-
hind. and made up my mind to get him.
II had a good gun, IL bore, and my
shells had heavy charges of No. s shot in
them. Well, had no sooner stood up than
the lone mallard saw me and rose in a
hurry. When he was about twenty feet
up 1 let drive with my right barrel, He
didn't so much as flicker. Then 1 let him
have my left. and l felt sure l hit him.
would circle and come back. but he didn't
His ticket seemed to be through one
and his stop-over privilege was limited
1T didn't think anything more about him
till the following fall, when he came along
again one day and dropped into the water
right where he had lit the spring before
Cl<t-
! knocked a feather out of him, but that
was all / could do with him He didn't
wait for any more trouble, but pursued his
way north.
old duck comes puacking along. and I've
shot him till i know he must be half full
of lead, but / can't bring him down. Gen
orally you find big duck leading a whole
flock, keeping his place at the apex OF the
triangle they form in their flight, but this
old fellow travels alone. Doubtless he has
his sweethearts here and there along the
line of his route but he shuns all society
while on his aerial voyages.
II have been laying for him for a week
past, and yesterday. when he came piling
down from the north, L was ready with a
new gun and shells loaded with No. chilled
shot.
= IN put an end to his fooling this time
/ said to myself, as he swooped down into
easy reach of me, and then ! let loose at
him in earnest. 1 shot at him three times
the last shot certainly taking effect in his
lcll NlIS, iOi it Weiit Oil ldffle on tQdt SlQe,
but the tough old rascal managed to flap
away, and l suppose by this time he is
pretty near to Texas.
II don't know what to make of that bird.
/ can say without boasting that / am a
good shot, but / can't do anything with
this phenomenal fowl. 1 think there must
be a duck doctor somewhere down South,
who patches up my old friend and fits him
for running the gauntlet with me.
But I'm going 10 get that duck some
day. I've got that big green feather stuck
up over my desk. and I'm bound TO have
the rest of them IL have to use a Gatling
gun"