68 GAME BIRDS AND WILD FOWL. 



hammer, I felt tempted to pull the trigger. Pru- 

 dence, however, prevailed, and I followed the 

 example of my sagacious dog, who lay crouched 

 at my side without moving a muscle of his limbs. 

 He had seen the bird as well as myself, and his 

 quick eye had detected my hasty movement, but 

 his attention was again directed to the main body 

 of water-fowl, several of which had at length 

 taken alarm and were rising, one by one, from 

 the water. It was an anxious moment. The 

 swans were still there, but they had ceased to 

 feed ; their heads were turned towards me, and 

 I soon perceived that the entire flotilla had gra- 

 dually approached nearer to me. Now or never, 

 thought I. I glanced rapidly at the advancing 

 gun-boat almost at the same instant a small 

 puff of smoke issued from its further extremity, 

 succeeded by a pigmy report, and up rose the 

 entire host of water-fowl swans and all the 

 snow-white plumage of the hoopers standing out 

 in bold relief against the murky sky. Then a 

 huge volume of smoke and a bright flame burst 

 from the prow, followed by the thunder of the 

 great gun itself off at last ! and as it cleared 

 a passage through the winged mass between us, 

 several of the motley crowd fell to rise no more : 

 almost at the same instant the head and shoulders 

 of a man were protruded from a covering of sea- 



