s and Kennedy should take the missionary's
breech-loading rifle, in addition to their own guns, and try to secure a
few.

The children begged to be allowed to accompany them, and as the day was
unusually fine and the lake almost without a ripple they were given a
holiday and allowed the privilege of an all-day outing with these two
trusty and experienced men.

A generous lunch, with the indispensable tea kettle, was placed in the
canoe by careful Mary, who, as usual, was angry that the children were to
be so long under the witchery of old Souwanas.

With the merry shouts of laughter from the children as their accompaniment
the two Indians skillfully plied their paddles, and it was not long before
they were some miles distant and on the lookout for loons. It often happens
that the things desired are the last to come. So it was this day. Wild
ducks in goodly numbers, and even geese and some swans and pelicans were
frequently seen. At length, however, strange, mournful sounds far ahead
were heard, and the experienced Indians knew that the birds for which they
were looking were not far away. Still it was some time before the first
long white neck and black head were seen in the distance, for the cry of
the loon not only differs from that of any other bird, but is very
far-reaching.

The excited children were now told to be very still and keep quiet, using
their eyes alone, and witness the contest between man's skill and the
birds' cleverness.

So accustomed have some old loons become to being fired at and missed by
Indians using the old-fashioned flintlock shotgun, which makes such a flash
when fired, that they just barely keep out of range. The instant they see
the fire flash--down they go, and then as the shot or bullet strikes the
place where they were they bob up again serenely in the same spot, or in
one not very far distant. This risky sport some of them will keep up for
hours, or until the disheartened hunters have wasted nearly all their
ammunition.

To-day, however, there was to be a new weapon tried against them, and, alas
for them, they were sadly worsted. Kennedy first loaded his old flintlock
shotgun and blazed away, but, as usual, they were out of sight under the
water before the shot struck the place where the loons had been.

For a time the loons were shy, and swam quite a distance away. But after a
while, as they found that Kennedy's gunshots could be dodged, they did not
bother to swim very far awa