248 Sporting Sketches 



directly to the second snipe. " It's a good way, too," 

 continued Thompson ; " he knew that last bird 

 might be lying back upward, and be hard to see, so 

 he never took his eyes off it. Had either seemed 

 to be not clean killed, he would have gathered that 

 one first, because a wounded bird is apt to run a 

 little and hide. So soon as he got back to his 

 empty shells, it was easy to stand a moment and get 

 a true line upon the whereabouts of the first bird." 



"Well, you didn't kill 'em all, I found," chuckled 

 Monroe, as he joined us. As we neared the house, 

 a figure in shirt-sleeves showed, and the smoke 

 rising straight above the roof told that Jean had 

 arrived and got busy. Two hours later we pushed 

 back our chairs and I remarked : " This is great ! 

 Jean's the greatest killer, unless we get muzzles." 



" Now for a pipe, and then to bed," said Thomp- 

 son. " The boys will be here before daylight, and 

 we must be into that marsh early. You'll have 

 everything ready for us, Jean ? " The cook grinned 

 and nodded assent. He could cook a heap better 

 than he could talk, and he well knew what one of 

 Thompson's early starts meant. He would silently 

 prepare breakfast, put up three big parcels of lunch, 

 see his people started, set the house in order, then 

 put on somebody's boots, fill his pockets with shells, 

 take his old, cheap gun, and away to the wet ground. 

 Not for snipe " Heem too small, an' heem fly 

 too fass, dat small beccasine yes ! But zee 

 plovaire yes! Heem go slow beeg flock 

 brum-brum ! Oh ! yes." 



As we pulled at the pipes, ther.e was a most inter- 

 esting chat about snipe. According to Monroe, the 



