A DUCK DRIVE 283 



among the reeds growing at the head of the dam, each 

 man choosing the firmest footing he could find. In spite 

 of the fact that the chanting goshawk must have been 

 cognisant of our presence, he still continued to quarter the 

 dam, often passing within shot of the guns, but he was, 

 of course, allowed to go on his way unscathed. 



For quite three minutes the Kaffirs maintained what 

 must have proved to them a painful silence ; but as they 

 '^ sprang " a Httle bunch of pink-bill teal, such an unearthly 

 volley of war-whoops went up that the friendly hawk 

 departed from the scene at his very best flight; while huge 

 spurwing geese, duck, teal, coots, and ibises appeared to 

 rise from every growth of reeds and patch of sedge- 

 fringed slob ; and small wisps of snipe, trips of green- 

 shanks and avocets, flitted restlessly round the shores of 

 the lagoon. 



A skein of some twenty spurwings passing between 

 de V. and myself afforded the Dutchman a beautiful 

 crossing shot ; and he very promptly cut down a couple 

 of the great birds with a right and left. The geese were 

 too far for my 12-bore, and with a sigh of regret I 

 watched them string away across the veldt. The other 

 men, who had taken up stands beyond the Dutchman, 

 were hard at it by this time, and although the dense 

 clumps of reeds obscured them from view, I saw duck 

 after duck and teal upon teal drop to the contents of 

 their guns. At length, just as I was beginning to think 

 that my luck was out, a big '* spring" of teal came heading 

 straight towards me. The little ducks passed within 



