to say, "If you do not let me go, I'll go bang off by
myself!" Happiness is sometimes too strong to be enjoyed quietly; and
Crusty and I, feeling that we could keep it down no longer, burst
simultaneously into a yell that rent the air, and, seizing the paddles,
made our light canoe spring over the water, while we vented our feelings
in a lively song, which reaching the astonished ears of the
afore-mentioned preposterously large gull, caused its precipitate
departure.

In half an hour we reached the point; dragged the canoe above high-water
mark; shouldered our guns, and, with long strides, proceeded over the
swamp in search of game.

We had little doubt of having good sport, for the whole point away to
the horizon was teeming with ducks and plover. We had scarcely gone a
hundred yards ere a large widgeon rose from behind a bush, and Crusty,
who was in advance, brought it down. As we plodded on, the faint cry of
a wild-goose caused us to squat down suddenly behind a neighbouring
bush, from which retreat we gazed round to see where our friends were.
Another cry from behind attracted our attention; and far away on the
horizon we saw a large flock of geese flying in a mathematically correct
triangle. Now, although far out of shot, and almost out of sight, we
did not despair of getting one of these birds; for, by imitating their
cry, there was a possibility of attracting them towards us. Geese often
answer to a call in this way, if well imitated; particularly in spring,
as they imagine that their friends have found a good feeding-place, and
wish them to alight. Knowing this, Crusty and I continued in our
squatting position--utterly unmindful, in the excitement of the moment,
of the fact that the water of the swamp lay in the same proximity to our
persons as a chair does when we sit down on it--and commenced to yell
and scream vociferously in imitation of geese; for which, doubtless,
many people unacquainted with our purpose would have taken us. At first
our call seemed to make no impression on them; but gradually they bent
into a curve, and, sweeping round in a long circle, came nearer to us,
while we continued to shout at the top of our voices. How they ever
mistook our bad imitation of the cry for the voices of real geese, I
cannot tell--probably they thought we had colds or sore throats; at any
rate they came nearer and nearer, screaming to us in return, till at
last they ceased to flap their wings, and sailed sl