above the plain a black patch lying across the distance.
It seemed to cover a hundred acres or so, and to represent a sort of
growth we had not before encountered.

"That," said the Captain, indicating, "is a pond covered with ducks."

I did not believe it. We dropped below the line of sight and rode
steadily forward.

All at once a mighty roar burst on our ears, like the rush of a heavy
train over a high trestle; and immediately the air ahead of us was
filled with ducks towering. They mounted, and wheeled, and circled back
or darted away. The sky became fairly obscured with them in the sense
that it seemed inconceivable that hither space could contain another
bird. Before the retina of the eye they swarmed exactly as a nearer
cloud of mosquitoes would appear.

Hardly had the shock of this first stupendous rise of wildfowl spent
itself before another and larger flight roared up. It seemed that all
the ducks in the world must be a-wing; and yet, even after that, a third
body arose, its rush sounding like the abrupt, overwhelming noise of a
cataract in a sudden shift of wind. I should be afraid to guess how many
ducks had been on that lake. Its surface was literally covered, so that
nowhere did a glint of water show. I suppose it would be a simple matter
to compute within a few thousand how many ducks would occupy so much
space; but of what avail? Mere numbers would convey no impression of the
effect. Rather fill the cup of heaven with myriads thick as a swarm of
gnats against the sun. They swung and circled back and forth before
making up their minds to be off, crossing and recrossing the various
lines of flight. The first thrice-repeated roar of rising had given
place to the clear, sustained whistling of wings, low, penetrating,
inspiring. In the last flight had been a band of several hundred snow
geese; and against the whiteness of their plumage the sun shone.

"That," observed the Captain with conviction, "is what you might call
ducks."

By now it was the middle of the afternoon. We had not thought of lunch.
At the ranch lunch was either a major or a minor consideration; there
was no middle ground. If possible, we ate largely of many most delicious
things. If, on the other hand, we happened to be out somewhere at noon,
we cheerfully omitted lunch. So, when we returned to the ranch, the
Captain, after glancing at his watch and remarking that it was rather
late to eat, proposed that we try out two other ponies wit