52 WILD LIFE ON A NORFOLK ESTUARY 



I suppose it is but ordinary human nature that prompts a 

 man to get the better of his fellows ; in some professions it 

 would be termed competition, in other walks of life various 

 other terms would signify the same thing. u Pintail " Thomas 

 once told my friend Dye, who was out in his punt seeking 

 victims, that if he went round the corner of the next rond he 

 might get a chance at a fowl. Dye went, and no fowl re- 

 warded his outlook ; but meantime Thomas, who had seen 

 fowl in an .opposite direction, and had thrown his rival off the 

 scent, went and made a successful shot. 



In May, 1887, before a watcher had been duly appointed 

 on Breydon, and ere I had given up shooting on principle, I 

 fear I was as sad a poacher as my opportunities allowed me 

 to be. Ben Dye and myself, on a bright, early morning, 

 sallied forth on slaughter bent, should any spring waders be 

 luckless enough to allow a near approach, and we had agreed 

 to divide the spoil " going halves." We had barely fastened 

 our punt to the timbers of the old ship Agnes, in the Ship 

 drain, ere a big gun boomed half a mile away in the Five- 

 stake drain ; and looking round I espied four avocets making 

 straight for us. Telling Ben to " look out," I fired at the 

 hindermost bird as they swerved to the left, dnd brought it 

 down. We rowed excitedly after it, and while gloating over 

 the beautiful thing (!), tossed up which of us was to have 

 fifteen shillings or the bird. The bird fell to Ben, who has it 

 still. But while in the midst of our exultation a punt we 

 had not noticed coming, bumped against ours, and a demand 

 for "our" bird was peremptorily made. 



" Your bird ! " said Ben, who had slipped it under the box 

 seat out of reach ; " how do you make that out ? " 



" We shot it ! " said Hurr and " Pintail." 



We proceeded to argue the point, but the two Breydoners 

 persisted, and began to use language that was more in keep- 

 ing with the mudflats than with parliamentary ideals ; and in 

 their chagrin they threatened summary vengeance. But see- 

 ing the threatening attitude of Ben's oar, they thought wiser 

 of it, and suggested we should settle the dispute ashore. 



To make matters less complicated, I asked what size shot 

 they had used. 



" No. 2's," said Hurr and Thomas in one breath. 



"Very well," said I, " I used only No. 5's ; and when the 



