A DAWN EXPERIMENT 181 



warm it, and grimly reloaded. Jonathan con 

 tinued his call to the birds, and when they 

 returned again I behaved better. 



By seven o clock the birds had scattered, 

 and we left our places to go back to the horse. 

 On the way we encountered two hunters 

 wandering rather disconsolately over the 

 marsh. They stopped us to ask what luck, 

 and we tried not to look too self-satisfied, but 

 probably they read our success in our arro 

 gant faces, streaked with tar and sweet oil as 

 they were. Possibly the bulge of our hunting- 

 coat pockets helped to tell the story. 



&quot;How long have you been out here?&quot; they 

 asked enviously. 



&quot;Two hours or so,&quot; said Jonathan. 



&quot;How d you get out so early?&quot; 



&quot;We got up early,&quot; said Jonathan, with 

 admirable simplicity. 



The strangers looked at him twice to see if 

 he meant to jeer, but he appeared impenetra 

 bly innocent, and they finally laughed, a little 

 ruefully, and went on out into the marsh we 

 were just leaving. Why does it make one feel 

 so immeasurably superior to get up a few 

 hours before other people? 



