CONTRASTS IN WILDFOWLING 423 



until we should have the assistance of the full flood-tide. 

 At 3 o'clock we anchored to have our second lunch — 

 time allowed, ten minutes — and being- then under the lee 

 flank of very great masses of geese, I landed to reconnoitre 

 the enemies' whole position before going into action. 

 Never shall I forget the spectacle witnessed from behind 

 a bluff in the sand-dunes ; commencing- within 500 or 600 

 yards of our standpoint, the whole shore-line was blackened 

 with moving armies of geese, on wing and water, which 

 extended for full two miles to the northward. In places 

 the line was thicker, in others more open ; but nowhere 

 could a breach be seen, and the aggregation formed a scene 

 that few have witnessed. 



The furthest advance-guard of the geese extending 

 to the northward limits of mud and ooze, the fowl, as 

 the tide rose, had to fly back. We therefore moved out 

 to intercept them ; and as the rearmost files of those two- 

 miles-of-geese crossed our bows, though at considerable 

 distance, I "tipped" the gun and knocked down four, two 

 of which were lost in the rough water beyond. 



So far, practically nothing had been effected ; but luck 

 was to flow with the tide. Towards evening, having 

 meanwhile " poled " several miles to the southward, we 

 again got into touch with one of the main armies of 

 geese. 



The sun was sinking behind old Cheviots' "fire-hills" 

 ere we commenced our final approach. The tide being 

 now full-flood, enabled us to advance from under the cover 

 of snow-clad banks — a great advantage. A slight snow- 

 fall, moreover, had just encased our trim gunboat in spot- 

 less white, rendering her still less conspicuous. The geese, 

 however, proved intensely watchful, and already ere yet 

 we had gained the 100-yard range, alarm-bugles rang out 



