CHAPTER XXXIX 



THE LAST DAY OF WILDFOWLING 



A Lucky Wind-up 



After a mild and open winter, which had been almost 

 totally unproductive of fowl, we betook ourselves on the 

 evening of February 27th to the remote fishing hamlet 

 whereat we have long established our wildfowling head- 

 quarters, to try our luck in a final day's campaign, for the 

 end of the season was at hand. By the way, it may be 

 remarked that there is no conceivable reason why wild- 

 geese and wigeon should not be killed in March. The 

 legal restrictions are a cruel injustice to many a poor 

 fisherman-fowler ; but figs do not grow on thorns, and it is 

 as reasonable to expect politicians to understand such 

 subjects as to ask a punt-gunner to settle the Irish 

 question. Well, it was dark enough as our crawling train 

 at last pulled up at the roadside station ; but presently 

 the clouds passed away, the full moon shone out, and the 

 long radiating columns of the "northern lights " flickered 

 brightly across the heavens as we traversed the water- 

 logged sand-flats. The longest road has an end, and 

 we are presently at work on ham-and-eggs in our snug 

 den, in a hamlet redolent of fish and things piscatorial. 

 There only remained to us one day to shoot (for March 



