0^ A MEDLEY OF SPORT 



as to what he tackled in the way of food ; but Tankerton 

 found it hard to beUeve that even he could by any 

 stretch of imagination declare the flesh of an ancient 

 and fishlike coot to be superior in flavour to that of a 

 mallard. 



Promising to be more careful in future, and to blaze 

 away at anything wearing feathers that might happen to 

 get up, were it coot, owl, mallard or dabchick, Jack once 

 more proceeded on his beat, while the restless Irishman 

 went off to try another drain lying a little farther afield 

 across the marshes. Every now and again the plaintive 

 calling of a bunch of lapwings passing at no great dis- 

 tance away, but quite invisible in the uncertain moon- 

 light, greeted Tankerton's ears, and once he heard the 

 merry cackle of mallard overheard. Nothing came 

 within shot of him, however, during the remainder of 

 his walk along the dyke, and upon arriving at the head 

 of the fleet he sat on the stump of an old tree to await 

 the advent of his companion, who had wandered the 

 deuce knew where. 



Phew ! it was thundering cold waiting on that old 

 stump in the middle of an unsheltered bog, with the 

 thermometer registering several degrees of frost, and a 

 biting nor'-easter driving in from the sea to search out 

 every nook and corner of the frozen levels. Thanks to 

 the doctor's gentle hint regarding the " spirit of friend- 

 ship," Jack had a goodly supply of medical comfort in 

 the shape of good old Scotch whisky, and in spite of 

 being taught from boyhood that a wildfowler should 



