Thus,  for  example,  I  remember  one  day  I  saw  on  the  lake,  to  the shore  of  which  one  of  my  wanderings  had  brought  me,  some dozens  of  wild  ducks,  too  scattered,  however,  for  me  to  hope  that I  alone  with  my  gun  could  reach  any  number  of  them.  As '  a  climax  of  misfortune,  I  had  my  last  charge  in  my  gun.  I remembered,  however,  that  I  had  in  my  game-bag  a  piece  of fat,  the  remains  of  the  provisions  of  which  I  had  a  supply when  starting.  I  fastened  a  morsel  of  the  fat  to  my  bag string,  which  I  cut  in  two,  and  the  four  threads  of  which  I  joined end  to  end.  Afterwards  I  lay  amongst  the  rushes  on  the bank.  I  threw  my  bait,  and  soon  I  had  the  satisfaction  to  see the  first  duck  approach  it  eagerly  and  swallow  it.  The  others flocked  together  in  rear  of  the  first,  and  so — the  oiliness  of  the fat  assisting — my  bait  quickly  passed  through  the  entire  length of  the  duck ;  the  second  swallowed  it,  then  the  third,  and  so  on the  rest.  At  the  end  of  a  few  minutes,  my  morsel  of  fat  had traversed  the  ducks  without  separating  the  string ;    they  were strung  like  pearls.  I  joyfully  brought  the  whole  lot  to  the bank,  and  slung  them  from  my  shoulders  by  the  thread  which was  passed  through  their  bodies,  and  returned  home.

- Chapter 2