The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1903-03-01


a radius OF two hundred yards, but he di'
not care for that. He made his way 70 uh
place where the teal had been. Ten booe'
fioated on the water. tie life stricken iron
them instantly. He knew that more thai
one or pple had darted into the weeds pu
| did not stop to look for Il.
He slipped the heads Of his prey Into tne
loops OF his game-strap, slung Il over nis
shoulder, Ave birds on one end OF II, nve on
the other, walked forward another hundred
yards took his stand in a thick clump Oh
The sennas and was happy. mn 49, ,h.,
Now" he muttered. III snow ui ia,
Engineer something that will make n I'ii
cry like baby. And liel Myl how
lie TO EN-. I'm going to kill these ten oiru us
singly and In every way dook Mss e'''
| killed-except sitting on the water.
The fog had lifted now. 1t arched over
/ s'Nn 20 thick that no sky couid ue 49,
| The bottom Of the roof was thirty yaIus
| above him, but between 1t and the waieI wave
| the air was reasonably clear. just n!ied
| with a light mist that made objects softer
| In outline.
Three sprigtails went by inside OF twenty
| yards. and he missed thenLshot oel zen, n
| them. A flock Of teal passed and hot d
| feather fell-shot behind them Ds
drove Of mallards circled above MN NO.
more than forty yards away. Both psreis
brought him nothing.
The fog had risen now 30 h'gn that there
water. The other men had fired shot
or two and the birds were rushing over
the pond from point to point, trying 10
find an untroubled place. Inc DotoI
looked at the empty floating shell cases
the sD Sa,ss w sa s ssa Ss M the weight
on his shoulder and was better.
ten at one whackl" he chuckled. Ihat
will bring up the average.
The fog broke suddenly. rolling north and
south, and the sun came through; ~ Was
an hour high. He was surprised TO bnd
that there were probably thousand ducks
flying within a quarter OF mile OF MN
They were all about and OF all kinds:
From one end Of the pond the Engineer Q
gun spoke and a changing horde arose;
from the. other end the Farmer puat IN .
screaming. The Journalist between them
fired wildly at a passing mass and others
sprang up In his front
The Doctor had never seen so many
ducks. He squatted instinctively In the
clump Of SIENNA and the water wet him
to the waist and started to run down ms
boots. He swore and straightenedIup His
game strap fell on and lay Idly In the water
and then he swore again because he had
been holding it all the time for nothing.
just scraping the tops OF lhe ~eeos'
of blue -bills dashed by. They, were flying
not in "" formation but in long, waver-
ing line. whose left end was next TO the
Doctor.
He had a momentary vision OF rakine
that line and knocking them all "a down. W.
heard the Farmer say once that in shooting
crossing blue-bills Il Is necessary to sight
at them as II q man held r1ne. lhey
were going q good hundred miles an hour
because. next to the teal, the b,ue-oill ~
probably the fastest OF our ducks, sur
passing even the meteoric butterban.
He sighted carefully and let drive. he
did not swing his gun to keep pace with
them, because he had never learned how;
Forty feet behind them a solitary SPOONFUL
was laboring along, and TINS sh0vei'er
went down with whole charge OF shot IN
him. Killed very dead was the spoonful.
and by the time he hit the water the blue
bills were 300 Yards away.
did I shoot at him?' the Doctor NUT.
tered TO himself. Yes, I held on him OF
Doc. so long az that Engineer Is not around
| didn't know that duck was In the world. :
He hesitated about picking 1t up, but
knew that the others would laugh at him for
bringing In a spoonbill when there were
thousands Of mallarts about 60 let I've.
and to the westward . little island In
the pond. He walked toward It because
II was dry land, and he was tired o! stand
ing in the wet. On the island was fallen
oak. =,
Growing out Of It there was . big limb
back to the chair. The Doctor sat down,
leaned In comfort and stretched his legs.
The green top, its leaves glistening In the
sunshine, made q screen between nun ana
the pond. He found it to be wonderfully
complete natural blind with just enough
of open space to shoot through and not
enough TO betray him. The Doctor said
This Il a good thing, and waited.
Five hurrying gadwells, going east. passed
him. He sat up straight and missed them.
A bunch OF teal followed and he knocked
down one. He had scarcely got fresh
shells TANNED home when three mallards
went by going west. He killed the leader
clearly and bit the rear bird hard. but
IL went on.
A fiock Of sprigs few by while his gun was
open; this struck him as unfortunate be.
cause he was sure he would have killed half
OF them. hooded merganza, tuft erect
neck far-stretched, wings elbowed al sharp
angle. whis,led by tearing Oh the miles. The
Doctor did not know what u was and will
never find out as his shot passed twenty feet
huge blue heron numbered awkwardly
along. my meat!' the Doctor exclaimed
and missed.
This bird looked to he within easy shooting
dis, ance and was really sevent y-five yards
out and up. The appearance OF the heron
In deceitful.
The men at the two ends OF the pond and
the Journalist In the middle were banging
away merrily and keeping the wild fowls
moving. Mallards stirred up by the Engi-
neer sped down the sheet of water. were
tackled by the Journalist or the Doctor II
they came near enough. were turned by the
Farmer at the other end and sped back again
1 Gradually. as this continued, the DUCKS
fock after flock. lowered up quarter Of q
mile high and went away seeking other