WITH THE WADERS 101 



little question. Probably the encroaching 

 tide has disturbed them also. At the same 

 time I hear distant voices of yellow-legs, and 

 presently six birds are seen flying in this 

 direction. They wheel doubtfully at the 

 unexpected sight of a man, and drop to the 

 ground beyond range ; but I can see them 

 well enough. How tall they are, and how 

 wide-awake they look, with their necks 

 stretched out ; and how silly they are, 

 " telltales " and " tattlers " indeed, to pub- 

 lish their movements and whereabouts to 

 every gunner within a mile ! While my 

 head is turned they disappear, and I hear 

 them whistling again across the marsh. 

 They are all gone, I think ; but as I look 

 again toward my sandpipers' island, be- 

 hold ! there stands a tall fellow, his yellow 

 legs shining, and his eye fastened upon me. 

 Either he has lost his reason, if he ever had 

 any, or he knows I have no gun. Per- 

 fectly still he keeps (he is not an absolute 

 fool, I rejoice to see) as long as I am look- 

 ing at him. Then I look elsewhere, and 

 when my eye returns to his place, he is not 

 there. He has only moved behind the corner 



