WILD-GOOSE SHOOTING 171 



and choppy in the big bays below that the geese 

 were compelled to seek the higher muds and smoother 

 water to windward. Observing that they habitually 

 took a course between these islands when flying up 

 harbour, I conceived the idea of mooring a boat in 

 each of the main channels between the islands, my 

 object being to induce the geese to fly over them 

 instead of passing outside, where they would have 

 been out of gunshot. With a grey-bearded, grizzled 

 old Breton skipper as my companion, I one day put 

 this scheme into operation during a heavy easterly 

 gale. Concealing ourselves among the rocks we 

 patiently waited for some time, and at length a few 

 brent appeared on the scene, flying towards us, sub- 

 sequently pitching again just in front of our island. 

 Presently about a score flew upwards, saw the boat, 

 and, swerving aside, came straight overhead. Three 

 of them collapsed at once to our joint shots, and 

 another hard-hit bird fell headlong behind us. Soon 

 the geese began to pass over in large numbers, but 

 the majority came too high up for our shoulder-guns, or 

 passed over too wide. In the course of half an hour 

 all was over, but we had no reason to be dissatisfied 

 with our sport, as we had then bagged nine brent, 

 and a tenth, which we did not get, was picked up by 

 some fishermen to windward of us. 



