28 SEA-FOWL SHOOTING IN 



ferred a long chance to the probability of flush- 

 ing the bird out of reach by coming sharply down 

 for a closer one. Kelly, as usual, steered to per- 

 fection, and brought our craft down abreast of 

 the prize in the exact line I had pointed out. 

 On the first wave lifting the black prince into 

 view my son fired, but he took wing, and both of 

 us shot at him flying. Kelly said he was hit, 

 and soon his prediction was verified the little 

 bird rose in the air, wheeled, and fell dead in 

 the sea. 



These being the only pair of black guillemots 

 seen, we were all (Kelly excepted) proportion- 

 ably elated. The old whaler spun yarns about 

 seals, white bears, walruses, and other polar 

 wonders. The sea-urchin w r hiffed his pipe and 

 grinned patronisingly. Our skipper, however, 

 still peered stealthily to the west, and seemed 

 unwilling to lose time by a tack after, a group of 

 eiders a little to the south. We were now in no 

 mood to give in, so having settled that I was to 

 fire at the drakes and my son at the ducks, we 

 ran past them at long range. He knocked over 

 his bird, and I struck mine, which flew a little 



