138 A MEDLEY OF SPORT 



time to realise what had happened, the spur-wings came 

 stringing over my stand with a great to-do. Again, 

 to my chagrin, I failed to score with my first barrel, 

 although half a handful of feathers were cut from the 

 back of the bird I had singled out for my own. My 

 second attempt proved more successful, however, and 

 with a heavy splash a fine old gander fell dead almost at 

 my feet. The gaggle now turned off right-handed, and 



as they passed well within shot of de V I saw a couple 



of their number fall almost simultaneously to the double 

 report of his 12 -bore. A bunch of some twenty duck 

 next swung past me at a great pace, but well out of 

 range. The " snap-snap " of the nitro in my friend's 

 gun reached me every now and again as he fired at passing 

 fowl ; but I had no time to watch what sort of practice he 

 was making, as small bunches of teal and duck and coots, 

 in twos and threes and dozens, kept me pretty busily 

 engaged. I am bound to confess, however, that my 

 powder was not by any means as straight as it might 

 have been. At length the splashing of the mud-soiled 

 Kaffirs, as they half swam, half waded through the tepid 

 water, was clearly audible, and, peering through the 

 openings of my " blind," I saw the remnant of the 

 colony of coots taking cover in the last clump of reeds ; 

 but when the yelling natives entered the dusky fowls' 

 final haven of refuge the birds had no choice but to take 

 wing. Up they got in a black mass, and with the wind 



behind them they flew between de V and myself at a 



pace that would not have disgraced a pack of driven 



