ox THE SALT-:\L\ESHES 205 



yards of the pit, and, having no greater " hanker- 

 ing " for roast sea-pie than I have for roast heron, 

 these were also allowed to go on their wav unscathed. 



The tide by this time was almost at its height, and 

 as the last patches of black ground and ooze were flooded 

 I began to think that my chance of further sport 

 that morning was decidedly poor, unless, perchance, I 

 managed to fall in with something during the return 

 walk along the shore. But '' jade " Fortune sometimes 

 smiles upon the wild-fowler when he least expects her 

 to be kind. I had just taken a pull at my flask, 

 preparatory to vacating the gunning-pit, when the 

 report of a couple of shots fired on the enclosed marshes 

 behind put me on the qui rive, A minute later a bunch 

 of nine mallard skimmed over the top of the sea-wall, 

 and then came heading straight for my hiding-place. 

 The bunch swung past me left-handed, and, pulling at a 

 fine mallard flying on the flank of his fellows, I had the 

 satisfaction of seeing it drop with a thud on the saltings ; 

 while with my left I brought down a duck which, 

 although not so clean killed as the mallard, was too hard 

 hit to struggle down to the tide. 



The morning being now well advanced, and having 

 a considerable amount of correspondence to " wade 

 through " for the afternoon mail, I retraced mv foot- 

 steps to the yacht, thoroughly well satisfied with shore- 

 popping, the world, and life generally. 



