162 . Sporting Sketches in Pen and Pencil. 



down a flock of eight duck went quacking up, in a great haste to be gone ; 

 and big Boreas, as we called the large gun, disgorged at the leader and 

 floored him, and, as luck vould have it, winged the next one. I then 

 snatched up the double and gave them a parting shot, raking one as they 

 went off over the bank, an easy shot for Rag, who bobbed down at the first 

 sound, and who got one to his first, while he finished off my wounded bird 

 with his second. The winged bird gave us great excitement, and exercised 

 Dirke somewhat, till I gave him another dose and finished him. 



At the shot five or six more ducks went off at the lower end, and as 

 there were now no more duck to be had here, we performed on the snipe 

 and moorhens, five or six of which latter we dropped and collected before 

 we finished off the rushes. When we got to the end I was just getting 

 out of the boat when something got up out of the ditch behind me. I 

 wheeled round, glimpsed something — I couldn't see what — going across 

 the river, and I let go on the chance, and the bird towered and fell 

 dead on the other side of the river amongst a lot of reeds. Dirke, 

 who saw it all distinctly, sprang into the river and swam across. 



" By Jove ! " said Eag, " that's old Sir Carraway Seed's reed bed. 

 He never shoots himself and won't let anyone else. It's a hundred to 

 one if it isn't crammed with stuff ! " 



And sure enough it was, for ducks, teal, and snipe seemed to know 

 they were safe there, and it was a big patch of covert ; and when Dirke 

 went crashing about in search of my quarry the birds got up by scores, 

 but only one duck and three teal came over; and just then Dirke swam 

 across with my bird, which proved to be a male teal in lovely plumage. 

 We had dispersed a lot of things, however, and the chance was that we 

 should find some lower down; and we did, gathering a duck or two and 

 several couple of snipe in unexpected places. It was capital fun. 



Splash ! squash ! scape ! quack ! bang ! bang I and bang again ! 



" Take care where you go there !" called out Rag to me, hastily, as I 

 stepped rather incautiously on to a quag, going in beautifully; and but 

 for my friends I should not have found it easy to get out. 



"Fortunate I sent the boy on to the hut with a complete change," 

 said Rag. " I always do, for one never knows when this kind of thing 



