30 A MEDLEY OF SPORT 



pardon (I had sent him up to the homestead to get my 

 tobacco pouch) came up to me at the double with the 

 news that, " vour ode mallard " had dropped into the 

 round pool. 



Telling WilUam to watch the rod, but upon no 

 pretence whatever to handle it, I took my gun, and put- 

 ting in a couple of No. 3's, walked along to the head of 

 the fleet, clambered over the sea-wall, and began the 

 stalk along the saltings, which ran from the creek right 

 up to the base of the sea-wall. 



Suddenly a curlew rose from a muddy gut within 

 thirty yards of me, and uttering shrieks of alarm, loud 

 enough to give warning of my presence to all the fowl 

 in the neighbourhood, he went over to the next island. 



How my trigger -finger itched to send a dose of shot 

 after that screeching bird, but I refrained from pulHng 

 at him, fearful of disturbing the duck. 



Having walked about half -a -mile across the salts, I 

 came to a slight break in the wall, at which point 

 William informed me I should be well within shot of 

 the pond. 



Cautiously pushing my gun before me, I climbed up 

 the face of the embankment on all fours, and, taking of! 

 my cap, peered through the long rank grass growing on 

 the crown, when to my joy I discovered the mallard 

 bunched together in the middle of the pond, at about 

 forty yards' range. 



" One barrel should account for the lot," I inwardly 

 ejaculated, and quietly, inch by inch, I pushed my gun 



