292 A MEDLEY OF SPORT 



tired beings only ; our young companion making his 

 couch on the oaken floor of the granary. 



The first golden spears of early morning were just 

 beginning to appear above the eastern sky-line when, 

 accompanied by a brace of handsome and well-broken 

 retrievers (the dog far excellence for wild-fowling), we 

 started away from the homestead to wage war against the 

 duck. We had not walked a hundred yards from the 

 house when a couple of mallard rose from a small pond 



within twenty yards of N and myself. But so 



little did we expect to find anything before reaching 

 the dykes that they were allowed to pass almost out 

 of shot ere the contents of our four barrels were sent 

 after them ; then — probably more by luck than good 

 shooting — a fat mallard dropped into a clump of dry 

 rushes. I need scarcely say this incident put us on the 

 alert. 



As the dykes and fleets required but two guns to shoot 

 them. Jack was told off to stop any fowl which might pass 

 over to the island lying on the far side of the salting - 

 fringed creek. We waited until the youngster had crossed 

 the sea-wall, and, then, accompanied by the bailiff's son, 

 Tommy, a sharp lad of thirteen years, who had 

 been enlisted into our service to carry the slain, 

 we walked quietly along the first dyke. For 

 some little time, beyond a moorhen, which was allowed 

 to go on its way unscathed, not a feather was moved. 

 But, suddenly, with a great to-do, a brood of ten strong 

 " flappers " rose in a bunch from a clump of sedges grow- 



