m, and saw its white breast rising above the water, as it
swam about among the reeds near the opposite bank. The cry was oft
repeated, making an unearthly din, now joyous, now dreary, among the
echoes around the lake.

Dol paused for a minute to listen; but he was bent on business, and did
not want to be very long away from camp lest his absence should cause
alarm. He took a careful survey of the scene. Not beholding any fleet of
black ducks as yet, he loaded his gun, and warily proceeded along the
bank towards the head of the pond.

Keeping a sharp lookout, he by and by detected something moving among
the water grasses a little way ahead, and heard a hoarse, squalling
"Quack! quack!"

Immediately afterwards a flock of half a dozen ducks sailed forth from
their shelter, nodding and quacking inquisitively.

A wild drumming was at Dol's heart, and a reckless singing in his ears,
as he raised his gun to his shoulder, and fired among them.
Nevertheless, his aim was sure and deadly. Two quackers were killed with
one shot! The others rose from the water, and with much fluttering and
hoarse noise winged their way to safety.

"How'll they be for meat, I wonder? Won't I have a crow over those
fellows?" shouted Adolphus aloud, with a yell entirely worthy of a
Kickapoo Indian, when he had recovered from surprise at the success of
his own shot.

He laid down the gun, pulled off his moccasins and socks, rolled up his
trousers, and waded in for the prize. Truly luck was with him--so
far--in his first venture in this region of the unknown. The water was
so shallow that, having grabbed the ducks, he splashed out of it,
kicking shiny drops from his toes, without wetting an inch of his
garments.

"I'm the kid of the camp, I know; but I'll be the first fellow to bring
any decent meat into it. Hooray!" he whooped again. "Shouldn't wonder if
these moccasins brought me wonderful luck; one can steal about so
quietly in them."

He had hit upon the supreme advantage which the Indian footwear
possesses over every other for the woodsman. A little later he was to
learn its disadvantage, having, with foreign inexperience, disdained the
extra soles because they were not "Indian" enough for his taste; for the
soft buckskin could not protect from roots and stones a wearer whose
flesh was not hardened to every kind of forest travelling.

But at present Dol bepraised his moccasins; for they had enabled him to
sneak upon his birds, the wildes