A NARROW ESCAPE. 245 



great clamour, but the mud was covered with dead and dying. 

 Two of the winged ones were swimming away, when Jimmy 

 fired and killed them. They landed on the mud, taking care 

 to put on the mud-boards. They picked up the dead ones, 

 and had many a lively chase after the wounded ones on the 

 mud and in the shallow water. They recovered five-and-twenty 

 birds. Half of them were wild-ducks, and the rest dunlins 

 and other shore birds. 



They passed on up Breydon, but they could not get another 

 shot of such magnitude. Another punt was on the water, and 

 the noise of its firing and oars disturbed the birds, so 

 that they were difficult to approach. They got, however, two 

 more long shots, and killed six ducks at one and three at 

 another. 



The tide had now covered most of the flats, and the birds 

 had either left the water or were floating on the surface, 

 and could not easily be seen because of the waves. Bell then 

 said he knew of a spot where the mud had been artificially 

 raised, so as to form a sort of island, for the express purpose of 

 enticing the wild-fowl to gather on it as the tide rose. He 

 therefore paddled them towards it. Some clouds had obscured 

 much of the starlight, and the night was darker. Frank became 

 aware of one dark patch on the water in front of them, and 

 another to the left He thought they were both flocks of 

 birds, and selected the left hand one, as being the nearer. He 

 covered it with his gun, and waited somewhat impatiently for 

 Bell to give the signal. 



' Surely we are near enough ;" he thought, when Jimmy crept 

 up behind him and whispered, " Bell says that is another punt, 

 they must be making for the mud we are, that patch in front." 



*' By Jove," exclaimed Frank, " I was aiming at the boat, 

 and about to fire. Perhaps they are aiming at us." 



" Don't shoot/' cried out Bell to the other boat, and Frank 

 immediately twisted his gun around and fired at the birds which 

 rose from the mud-bank. 



" I say, you there ! " cried out a man in the other boat, " that 

 was a narrow escape for you. I was on the point of firing 

 at you. You should give me half the birds you shot then." 



" All right, you shall have them, if you will help to pick them 

 up," sang out Frank. Only a dozen, half of them dunlins, 

 were secured and divided. 



