A DUCK STORY.

Motueka Star, Volume IV, Issue 162, 10 March 1903, Page 4

A DUCK STORY.

'Speaking of duck shooting,' sighed an old citizen, 'I don't think there are as many birds as there were ten or fifteea years ago. Why, sir, the channel used to be black with them !' Everybody sighed to think those good old days had gone, and the veteran hunter continued : 'I was out one day and got among the ducks, and how. many do you think I counted ?' After an inter val, one of the audience ventured to suggest 'Three hundred.' 'Three hundred ! Why, sir, I always killed over a thousand every time I went out! No, sir, I counted over sixteen thousand big fat ducks, and then I had counted only those on one side of the boat !' 'How long did it take you !' 'I don't know sir, I had no watch with me. Time is nothing to a man counting ducks. Bye-and-bye I got tired of counting and got ready for the slaughter.' 'How many did you kill ?' 'Well, now, I suppose there is a good chance for me to lie about that and say I killed nine or ten hundred. But I am a man of truth. I didn't kill a single one, and that where the strange part of ray story comes in. When I raised my gun the ducks knew what I was up to, and about 200 of them made a sudden dive,swam under the boat, and upset her! Yes, sir, they did, and I was thrown into the water. I climbed up on to the bottom of the boat, floated five miles, and was picked up j by th e

Indians. We towed the upset boat to an island—and here another curious thing happened. Under the boat were two hundred and sixty four large, fat ducks ! They had been caught there when the boat was upset, and all we had to do was to rap them on the head.' 'But why didn't they dive down and get from under the boat ?' asked the amateur duck hunter. 'Well, sir, said the veracious storyteller, 'I might have asked them why they didn't dive down but I didn't do so. All I know is that I counted over sixteen thousand ducks, was upset, captured two hundred and sixty four, and have affidavits here to prove everything I have stated. Does any nian here want to see the documents ?' he asked, taking out his sharpshooter —but nobody wanted !