El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1912-08-15
The HeraId's Daily
ShertStery

were susnicious. and kept punched up
at the furtherest end OF me MalsI,
ready to take flight on the siis test
However as nothing happened and
there was no other corn 10 De udu,
they went and fed with the G 2i
ducks when the man hau o,-I2.o T,-s1l-ipS
did not notice, for they were HdIhiIS =
that the ground Whereupoh tney al
fed was covered in py WIRE hvItlnS On
all sides. but the 'front.' tEe go
ward the water-that II va "a - ~
nothing but a huge wire SaS1SI-
least they did not notice II TN suu-
denly. without a second "dIIilIS. nc
front of the cage, Wnlcn ndu niSL cry
been drawn up. came Thev We're we're caught
Three hundred wild ducks, cauShI IN
silly fowls on ground they mao leu
safely upon for weeks Ihdt 10 49,
comes of trusting man. anu o'"er
Thereafter came keepers and boys.
who. catching them III nets I'M ust
them into dark baskets, SO many 70
basket: and in darkness. and packeG
like sardines, humping and JoItl1g anu
terrified, they stayed until SuuuehIy'
after what seemed to them a lie time,
the baskets were opened; anu . IaI.
blinded by y the h,3t f f0 fiI again ain
First of the frightened, dazed pros
70 lean into the air and strike upward
first to gain a height from WhenCe
the surrounding country COuAu OS SOS -
and first of the brakes TO assemble ms
own company about him, as one AFTER
the other the baskets were opened anu
thew rose was our drake Looking
no larger than a lark, he swept IN
great circles, rasping out his pecul1ar
note calling his flock together he
found that he had been let out on tne
top of a hill only about hall nlle
from the lake whose shimmering
waters he could see cleaning between
the trees
The other ducks began to fly back
TO the lake al once since their instinct
was to return at once 70 WaISr %
did he. but more slowly and higher up
He was suspicious; something, some
inherited memory at the back OF MS
brain was at work I fancy.
Thus several fIOcks got far ahead OF
him. Thus, too. he he was keenly on
the alert: and thus, last of all, he saw
the sudden CLEAN OF some metal pc
tween the trees in front of the lake
and such a CLEAN of metal had he seen
among the reeoS when his rather ana
mother met their fate instantly ne
swerved, and, rising hlSner, rev
straight away. Some OF the 1loch, nine
in an. followed, but the rest, remem-
boring the good corn, kept on with
Then suddenly a line of flame burst
out and ran along under the trees oy
the lake. the leading ducks crumpled
up. scattered and fell, bird after bird
pitching down dead; whilst to the ears
of our drake came the continuous
banging of guns. Those were the rich
sportsmen placed there in line by the
gamekeepers 20 shoot the duck as they
came home to the lake. high overhead,
from the hill And that, though he
did not know it. was the new method
of shooting wild duck. which is fast
threatening to upset the popularity OF
pheasant driving
As for our drake he flew on and on
for hours, till at last he came to the
sea: and there. Graded on the lap Of
the waves, eight miles out from shore.
far beyond the reach of any shooters
he. and the remainder of his flock
slept. In the blacklist part of the night
they flew to the mud banks and dan
gerous sand bars Of an estuary to
feed and at Che first hint of dawn re-
turned out to sea TO roost on the toss
ing waters. 1t was a rough bed and
cold one, but ducks don't mind that If
they are safe.