278 A MEDLEY OF SPOET 



searched out every nook and corner of the wide and 

 weird-looking expanse of treeless marshes, it blew directly- 

 down from the geese to Jack, and therefore those wary 

 fowl were unable to scent him. The only question was, 

 would they notice that their ancient equine companion 

 had a kind of crab -like amble about her, and appeared 

 to have borrowed an extra pair of forelegs ? Time would 

 solve the problem ; and away went Kitty again at 

 the same " breakneck " pace as before (about 80 yards an 

 hour). 



The bailiff did not err in stating that the mare would 

 make a bee-line for the geese. She did ; but oh, ye gods ! 

 did ever bee deviate from its buzzing flight hivewards to 

 gather honey from the nectarian of outlying blossoms, 

 as often as did Kitty from her course to lop a growth of 

 lucerne ? And Jack hugging her ungroomed sides the while 

 to keep out of sight of the geese, and steering her as best he 

 could toward the distant rise in the sea-wall. How he 

 cursed flighty Kitty for wandering from the straight road ; 

 and once he ventured to give her a " rib -binder " with 

 the stock of his gun ; but once only, for at the blow the 

 Mdle head turned slowly towards him, and the wall-eye 

 said as plainly as a wall-eye could, " Remember you 

 are here on sufferance ; hit me again and you'll know 

 it." 



Slowly, but surely, man and mare drew nearer and 

 nearer to the geese, which, although he had not dared to 

 take a glimpse of them since leaving the sheep bridge. Jack 

 knew had not flown, for a chorus of loud honk-honhings 



