The Frozen Lagoon Shoot

Across the River and into the Trees

This flow follows the duck hunt from a difficult icy approach to Cantwell’s conflict with a boatman and his final, limited success in the blind.

increasing

Bearing strength in each event

decreasing

Breaking the Ice Breaking the Ice from "Across the River and into the Trees". Breaking the Ice A hard approach Cantwell helps pole the boat through newly frozen water toward the shooting blind.

Breaking the Ice from "Across the River and into the Trees". Breaking the Ice A hard approach Cantwell helps pole the boat through newly frozen water toward the shooting blind.

Breaking the Ice A hard approach Cantwell helps pole the boat through newly frozen water toward the shooting blind. The labor makes the outing physically demanding before the hunt begins. A strained partnership The boatman is surly and unhelpful, while Cantwell tries to keep his temper and preserve the day’s pleasure. Their tension foreshadows the later breach of hunting etiquette.

The First Double The First Double from "Across the River and into the Trees". The First Double Careful shooting Cantwell takes two descending ducks while accounting for the boat’s position.

The First Double from "Across the River and into the Trees". The First Double Careful shooting Cantwell takes two descending ducks while accounting for the boat’s position.

The First Double Careful shooting Cantwell takes two descending ducks while accounting for the boat’s position. He takes pride in the accuracy of the shots and in the care he has shown the men working nearby. Pleasure under constraint The success restores his confidence, but the ice limits the prospects for the day. The hunt remains a fragile pleasure shaped by weather and cooperation.

A Broken Rule A Broken Rule from "Across the River and into the Trees". A Broken Rule The boatman fires The boatman shoots at ducks approaching Cantwell’s blind, violating the basic expectation that a shooter’s birds are not taken…

A Broken Rule from "Across the River and into the Trees". A Broken Rule The boatman fires The boatman shoots at ducks approaching Cantwell’s blind, violating the basic expectation that a shooter’s birds are not taken…

A Broken Rule The boatman fires The boatman shoots at ducks approaching Cantwell’s blind, violating the basic expectation that a shooter’s birds are not taken by someone else. Cantwell is shocked and angry. Anger contained Too far away to call to the man, Cantwell fires two warning shots in his direction. He then takes medication and tries to understand the hostility rather than let it ruin the hunt.

Four Ducks and a Cripple Four Ducks and a Cripple from "Across the River and into the Trees". Four Ducks and a Cripple Limited success Cantwell shoots four ducks despite the frozen water and the boatman’s interference.

Four Ducks and a Cripple from "Across the River and into the Trees". Four Ducks and a Cripple Limited success Cantwell shoots four ducks despite the frozen water and the boatman’s interference.

Four Ducks and a Cripple Limited success Cantwell shoots four ducks despite the frozen water and the boatman’s interference. He also recovers a wing-tipped mallard alive rather than treating it as another trophy. A humane choice He asks that the bird be kept for a caller or released in spring. His decision contrasts the violence of shooting with a practical form of care.

An Explanation at the Lodge An Explanation at the Lodge from "Across the River and into the Trees". An Explanation at the Lodge The hidden cause Alvarito explains that the boatman’s wife and daughter were raped when Moroccan troops passed through the area.

An Explanation at the Lodge from "Across the River and into the Trees". An Explanation at the Lodge The hidden cause Alvarito explains that the boatman’s wife and daughter were raped when Moroccan troops passed through the area.

An Explanation at the Lodge The hidden cause Alvarito explains that the boatman’s wife and daughter were raped when Moroccan troops passed through the area. The Allied uniform has become a trigger for his anger. Anger reinterpreted Cantwell asks for a drink rather than defending himself or condemning the man. The explanation reframes the hostility as an injury tied to war, not merely personal discourtesy.

Before daylight on the first hunting morning

At first light in the sunken barrel

Later that morning on the frozen lagoon

Near the end of the frozen-lagoon hunt

After the hunt, inside the canal-side house