MORE ABOUT FOWLING ON LONGSHORE. 283 



"A friend o' ours." 



" Give your name." 



This is familiar to the guardian of the coast, and 

 he asks me to give his respects to my father when 

 I go back to Surrey again, for he was his old school- 

 mate. They know a good deal about each other in 

 small communities such as ours. 



A couple of miles of very wary travelling brings 

 us to the beach, where for some moments we are 

 lost in wonder at the sight that presents itself. As 

 far as we can see, nothing but huge hillocks of 

 shingle are visible, quite as large as good - sized 

 cottages, with regular lanes between each ; they had 

 been thrown up by the waves during the late gale. 



" What do ye think on it ? Looks queer at 

 night, don't it ? Jist hear them birds hollerin'," 

 remarked one of my companions. " The tide flows 

 in a hour's time ; we ken git further down, an' 

 look at things afore it flows. All the birds is out 

 on the slub a mile off; there wun't be a chance 

 fur a shoot yet." 



It was a wild tramp under that clear, dark-blue, 

 midnight sky, and one which I shall never forget. 

 How far those heaps extended we did not know, 



