158 GUN, RIFLE, AND HOUND. 



van Eyck," over the gate, In the evening we visited 

 the main fort, and made preparations for the ensuing 

 day. 



Next morning we were off at daylight, and a 

 good horse brought us to Dikwella Rest-house to 

 breakfast. Towards noon we left again, and a five- 

 mile drive landed us at the "tank" I had come so 

 far to visit. Here two canoes were waiting for us, 

 and we hastened to embark. We could see large 

 flocks of water-fowl dispersed on the surface of the 

 water, which is about a mile long and nearly half 

 as broad. Amongst them were many teal, the others 

 consisting mostly of the inevitable "did-he-do-it," a 

 plover (Hydrophasianus Sinensis) which like many 

 other birds gets its name from its cry. Here and 

 there were single darters (Plotinus melanogaster], a 

 cormorant-like bird, which has the curious habit of 

 swimming submerged with only its neck and head 

 above water, in which position it looks more like 

 a snake than anything else. Of course, neither of 

 these birds were shot at. We advanced in line, 

 and I opened the ball by dropping three teal out 

 of some skeins that swept over us. We had secured 

 the first, and were paddling towards the second, 

 when I, who was watching the third, saw a huge 

 head appear close to it. With one snap of his great 

 jaws the crocodile secured my teal and disappeared. 

 The men only laughed, and paddling to the spot, 

 handed me a paddle, with which I could distinctly feel 

 the brute's side and forearm not a yard beneath us, 

 but he seemed to take no notice. I must say it was 



