HELLO, Cap’n Titus,” said Perkins, as that ancient neck-whiskered mariner walked into the store. “How’d you make out gunnin’ today?”
“Tole’ble, jest tole’ble: thet’s all,” replied the genial old Captain, good-naturedly. “I got four black ducks, six broad bill, and ten winters.”
“I must say thet’s putty good shootin’ fer one day,” said Perkins, trying to draw the Captain out.
“‘Twas putty fair : but I should hev got more yet if my shells hadn’t gin out. ‘Twas mighty hard luck and ‘minds me o’ one day ’bout four years ago, when I went down tu the medders gunnin’ with thet old muzzle-loader o’ mine.” Here the Captain paused to take a mouthful of plug tobacco, after which he continued, full of the spirit of the thrilling tale which all of his auditors were anxious to hear.
“I fooled ’round all day, till I had only one charge o’ powder left. Birds hed been comin’ ‘long, one in a flock and now and then tew lone ones, and all of ‘em out er range, and I didn’t git a bird. I was kinder discouraged : hadn’t hed a good shot all day. But jest as I was gittin’ out o’ the stand I heard a goose hollerin’ and I crouched down quick, I can tell yer, and purty soon he landed plump down in the slough-hole in front o’ me, where my decoys was. I was jest tu the south o’ the Deacon’s medder — you fellers remember how the marsh there is very narrer and runs right clus up tu the beach — and my stand was jest ‘breast o’ thet low place on the beach they call the blow-hole. Wa-al, I moved ’round keerful and got a bead on the old goose, when he must hev smelt me, fer jest as I was goin’ tu let him hev it he begun swimmin’ away from me. I didn’t want tu lose him so I begun to whistle him back, and, if you’ll b’lieve me, as I was a-sittin’ there, what should I see comin’ up by the blow-hole but a red fox. Boys, I’d hev given my hull farm for another charge o’ powder and shot thet minute, I guess. The goose by this time hed circled round and begun tu come towards me agin, and the fox was a-standin’ stock still. Gradually the old goose was gittin’ in line with thet fox. ‘By thunder,’ ‘s I, ‘if I can git ‘em in a line there’s a chance o’ gittin’ ‘em both.’ In another minute they was right in line and I let ‘em hev it. Jest as I fired, a blue-fish jumped out o’ the water from a school on ‘em thet was chasin’ bait inshore. I shot the goose plum through the head, lamed the fox so he couldn’t run, and killed thet blue-fish so he drifted ashore, and I got the hull three.”
“Boys,” said Perkins solemnly, ” if you’ll step intu the back room I’ll set up the cider, cause after thet yarn we’ll need somethin’ bracin’.”
Tom Remington
