The Adventures of Baron Munchausen/Chapter III

Encounter between the Baron's nose and a door-post.—Fifty brace of ducks and other fowls destroyed by one shot.—Flogs a fox out of his skin.—Vanquishes a wild boar.

One morning whilst I was in Russia, I saw through the windows of my bed-room, that a large pond, not far off, was covered with wild ducks. In an instant I took up my gun, ran down stairs and out of the house is such a hurry, that I imprudently struck my face against the door post. Fire flew out of my eyes, but it did not prevent my intention; I soon came within shot, when levelling my piece, I observed, to my sorrow, that that the flint had sprung from the cock, by the violence of the shock I had just received. There was no time to be lost. I presently remembered the effect it had upon my eyes, therefore opened the pan, levelled my piece against the wild fowls, and hit my fist against one of my eyes. A hearty blow drew sparks again; the gun went off, and I killed fifty brace of ducks, twenty widgeons, and three couple of teals. Presence of mind is the soul of manly exercise. In a noble forest if Russia, I met a black fox, whose valuable skin it would have been a pity to tear by a ball or shot. Reynard stood close to a tree. In a twinkling I took out my ball, and placed a spike nail in its room, fired, and took so dexterous an aim; that I nailed his brush fast to the tree. I went up to him, took out my hanger, gave him a cross cut over the face, laid hold of my whip, and fairly flogged him out of his fine skin. Once in a forest, unprepared for attack or defence, I had the misfortune to meet a wild boar. I retired behind an oak tree, just when the furious animal levelled a blow at me, with such force, that his tusks pierced through the tree, by which means he could neither repeat the blow nor retire.—Immediately I laid hold of a stone, and hammered and bent his tusks in such a manner, that he could not escape; whilst I went to the next village for ropes and a cart, to secure him properly, and to carry him off safe and alive, in which I perfectly succeeded.