YULETIDE ON A 15-TONNER 



WAS sitting in solitude 

 before the fire of my 

 bachelor quarters, smok- 

 ing and listening to the 

 eerie wind-music played 

 by the wild nor'-easter 

 amongst the chimney - 

 tops, and wondering how 

 and where to spend 

 Yuletide, which was but 

 two days off, when a 

 telegram was handed 

 me, which ran as follows : — " Will you spend Christmas 

 aboard Seamew ? Plenty of wildfowl about. Wire. — 

 Jack." 



" By Jove ! what a stroke of luck ! " was my ejacula- 

 tion, as I despatched a reply to my old friend. Jack M , 



to the effect that I would join the yawl at Brightlingsea 

 on Christmas Eve. I then set to work to overhaul my 

 well-worn and somewhat shabby winter cruising kit ; 

 gave my favourite old long -chambered 12-bore a coat of 

 " 3-in-one," and last, but by no means least, loaded a 

 goodly number of cartridges with a well-known " nitro," 

 and different sizes of shot from No. 9 for snipe and 



small waders, up to 3's for worthier fowl. 



16^ 



