224 OUT WITH THE BIRDS 



had cut loose on them when they were very close 

 to him, and head on, a very difficult shot with 

 these geese that are the swiftest of them all 

 awing; and as a result, he missed them with both 

 barrels. 



We had scarcely secured the dead birds and 

 put them out of the way it doesn't do to leave 

 them belly-up in the stubble, where they fall- 

 when three more flocks were coming, one detach- 

 ment after the other, and about half a mile apart. 

 I was making adjustments and declaring that I 

 was going to use both kodak and gun this time, 

 when a profoundly disgusted remark from my 

 companion caused me to look up quickly. He 

 didn't say very much words are so impotent at 

 such times. Approaching along the edge of the 

 stubble were three teams, each hauling a binder. 

 They were strung out a good distance apart, and 

 it didn't need a mathematician to figure out that 

 those teams would be in front of us when the 

 geese arrived. They were; and though each 

 flock halted a little in indecision and climbed 

 higher as though to await the passing of the ob- 

 structionists, they finally decided to pass on to 

 the northward. 



The next flock came broken in two detach- 



