having its ornamental feather
shattered, was sadly cut up about the crown.

The poor lad's face became much redder than the legs or beak of the gull
as he sat down in confusion, which he sought to hide by busily reloading
his gun; while the men indulged in a somewhat witty and sarcastic
criticism of his powers of shooting, remarking, in flattering terms, on
the precision of the shot that blew Baptiste's feather into atoms, and
declaring that if every shot he fired was as truly aimed he would
certainly be the best in the country.

Baptiste also came in for a share of their repartee. "It serves you
right," said the guide, laughing, "for wearing such things on the
voyage. You should put away such foppery till you return to the
settlement, where there are _girls_ to admire you." (Baptiste had
continued to wear the tall hat, ornamented with gold cords and tassels,
with which he had left Red River.)

"Ah!" cried another, pulling vigorously at his oar, "I fear that Marie
won't look at you, now that all your beauty's gone."

"'Tis not quite gone," said a third; "there's all the brim and half a
tassel left, besides the wreck of the remainder."

"Oh, I can lend you a few fragments," retorted Baptiste, endeavouring to
parry some of the thrusts. "They would improve you vastly."

"No, no, friend, gather them up and replace them; they will look more
picturesque and becoming now. I believe if you had worn them much
longer all the men in the boat would have fallen in love with you."

"By St. Patrick," said Mike Brady, an Irishman who sat at the oar
immediately behind the unfortunate Canadian, "there's more than enough
o' rubbish scattered over mysilf nor would do to stuff a fither-bed
with."

As Mike spoke, he collected the fragments of feathers and ribbons with
which the unlucky shot had strewn him, and placed them slyly on the top
of the dilapidated hat, which Baptiste, after clearing away the wreck,
had replaced on his head.

"It's very purty," said Mike, as the action was received by the crew
with a shout of merriment.

Baptiste was waxing wrathful under this fire, when the general attention
was drawn again towards Charley and his friend, who, having now got
close to the rock, had quite forgotten their mishap in the excitement of
expectation.

This excitement in the shooting of such small game might perhaps
surprise our readers, did we not acquaint them with the fact that
neither of the boys had, up to that time,