106 FORAYS AMONG SALMON AND DEER. 



allowing myself to penetrate too far into the layer of 

 vegetable network, and yet feeling my way as I put 

 forward each foot. Soon, however, I considerably 

 recovered my confidence, and was thrown off my guard 

 when a small flock of ducks rose from the reeds a few 

 yards in advance. We all fired right and left, bringing 

 down four ; Alister his couple, and Walter and myself 

 each a single bird. Several more were put up by the 

 shots ; some of which left for the sea, flying over our 

 heads at a great height, while others dropped again at 

 the further end of the loch. We quickly secured three 

 of the fallen birds, but the fourth which was only 

 winged, being Alister's second, and a long shot, baffled 

 us for some time. Indeed we had lost it altogether, 

 when the gillie came upon it quite accidentally, and 

 seized it before it had time, impeded as it was by the 

 weeds, to dive and get away again. 



We now walked on for some distance without finding 

 any more ; but at last put up another flock, out of 

 which Alister and I bagged each our bird; Walter 

 wounding one, a very long shot, which eventually fell at 

 the further end, where several more of the flock, 

 evidently young though of a fair size, also alighted 

 again ; while the old birds kept wheeling round in the 

 air above us, or went away altogether. It was now 

 clear that most of the full-grown birds had left the loch, 

 and that they were chiefly young ones which had 

 collected at the far end ; thither therefore we at once 

 determined to make our way as well as we could. 

 Having marked carefully the spot at which Walter's 

 wounded bird had dropped, I proceeded thither to 

 secure it if possible, the gillie and retriever ac- 

 companying me at intervals of a few yards. A solitary 

 drake getting up in our front, fell to my gun and was 

 soon secured ; we then reached the spot where I had 



