New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1904-11-06

they think they do so without detection
The newcomers generally employ one Of the
natives for guide. One old guide has probably
taken more gunners out to these happy hunting
grounds than any other man in his line He
likes to tell yarns also
Can I tell an old hand at duck huntin'? Yes,
sir" he said the other day. THE right sort will
lay down in the boat with maybe the rain and
sleet peltin' their faces. perhaps the snow
coverin 'em UP. Many a day gets weather
that goes right to the bone. through your top
boots oilskin and fanneIs. 1 tell you a man
has 20 be the stuff to stand il three or four
hours out there-not rOvn' except 10 take a
pull at the flask The green ones get uneasy
and fdget around. They don't know a canvas
back can a quarter of a mile or more
through a snowstorm. and cuss me and every
thing else because they can't get shot when
we can hear the guns pOppin' all around
Then I've had others who went out day after
day when I told 'em the signs wrong for
shootin' and we didn't see a bird. but they were
lust as well satisfed-didn't seem to care. One
man has hired me reg'iar every fall for the last
five years, and don't b'lieve he's killed half a
dozen birds any time he's been here. though he
STAYS a week or ten days on a stretch, putin
I'D at my place. 1 member the first time saw
him. He had three four guns and a lot OF
handbags and wore a brand new duck suit, as
look as if they'd been used more'n once or
twice. He was a good deal different from those
Ia been putin up and I tod him as We drove
along we didn't live in much style Never
mind saws he I didn't come for that; came
to shoot He ate the ham and eggs and fried
rnush for supper and went to bed early. telln
me we'd go next day, rain or shine Wen, the
ext day was nasty. The wind was wrong
leadin' from the blinds out into the bay, ana
there was a cold drivn' rain 1t was the sort
o. weather that makes you feel like hein' along
side fire with pipe and a glass OF somethln
hot 1 asked him if he didn't want TO wait
over but he wouldn't hear to it. and so We
started
He was game I could see by his
hands and face that he hadn't been used to bein'
out of doors much He was thin and nervous,
and his hands were white as a girls We didn't
see more than three or four ducks. and two Of
'em was divers. at that. told him they was no
good but he drove away at everything, and
believe would have fired at the decoys IL I
hadn't told him to be careful not to shoot except
when he was sure he saw a duck He knew
little about gun. I had to show him how to
put one of his together and pick out the best
number cartridge to use. Fact the man
couldn't tell the difference between what was
good for reed birds and the kind We needed; but
he didn't pretend to- know it all. some of EN-
do, and said he hadn't done much gUnnfn'. He
watched me and initiated everything did. That
day we never got bird, though we was out
eight hours, but he didn't seem to care and
when we got back to the house he ate like
horse.
There says he. pushin' back his chair and
pullin out a cigar. that's the first time I've been
hungry in a year The rest of the evenin' he
made me tell stories.
He was there for week We went out every
day. but he never got bird till the fourth day.
Then teal come along right over the box He
excited that he let go both barrels. and
the bird came down full of lead that it wasn't
really worth pickn out the shot. l never saw
tickled in my life. He acted like kid
jest out o. school, and had me send it to the