CHRISTMAS ON THE VELDT 229 



appeared to resent the short lecture that was preached 

 to him regarding the desirability of his taking high- 

 flying birds only, unless he was desirous of "bagging" 

 a man or two. How necessary that lecture was will 

 presently be shown. 



The preliminaries settled, off marched Hood at the 

 head of his tattered mob of chattering Kaffirs, while the 

 rest of us took up our stands in the high reeds growing 

 round the shores of the water, which afforded excellent 

 cover ; but which were sufficiently open to permit the 

 guns to see all that was going on in front of them. 



"VVe had not long to wait ere a ringing view-halloo 

 from Hood warned us that the drive had commenced, 

 and, needless to add, that infernal halloo set the Kaffirs 

 yelling and whooping like so many fiends let loose from 

 Hades. A skein of some ten or twelve spur- winged geese 



were first set a-wing, and passing H left-handed and 



within easy range, a couple of their number fell with 

 resounding splashes into the shallow — an excellent right 

 and left for a start. 



The rest of the geese, wheeling quickly to the right- 

 about, broke back over the heads of the beaters. Then 

 came duck and pink-billed teal in both large and small 

 bunches, and pretty heavy toll was taken of those which 

 fled within range, by every gun with the exception of 

 my own, the powder in which, I am bound to confess, was 

 anything but straight. Suddenly, and without the 

 shghtest warning, a sharp report from the front was 

 followed by a smart and unpleasant patter of shot pellets 



