Big Game Shooting 



us on the platform — broad in stature, happy in 

 face, and ready to crack a joke and sing " High- 

 land Mary ' with the best. Ah ! my friend, 

 "always be merry and bright" is your motto as 

 well as mine ! 



Up we went to the fort, where a good dinner 

 awaited us, and the affairs of state and the follow- 

 ing day's shoot were arranged. 



Awakened in the morning, after breakfasting 

 off the best, we repaired to the lake, intent on 

 the numerous water-fowl we were to bring to 

 book. 



The plan of action is to line out, some on the 

 bank and others wading through the reeds, and 

 walk the birds up for some considerable distance, 

 and then, whilst we are enjoying our lunch, the 

 savage part of the population are dispatched 

 some two miles further on to drive the reeds we 

 have not disturbed back to us. Almost before 

 we had cracked our last joke — some had not even 

 thought of loading — the outside gun on the left 

 in the lake spoke — "bang! bang!" — and down 

 tumbled a couple of teal. The report echoed far 

 out over the lake, resounding over the surface of 

 the waters on this still, sunny day, and with a 

 whirr, up got millions of teal and duck of all 

 sorts. I imagined at first that we had disturbed 

 the whole of the bird creation ; but that idea was 

 soon dispelled, as almost with every footstep a 

 bang was heard somewhere down the line at 



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