342 A MEDLEY OF SPORT 



the "lookout" than ever, and, peering forward, I anxiously 

 watched for the appearance of the fowl. Fortunately, 

 what little breeze there was came from abeam, and the 

 widgeon, being well ahead, were, therefore, unable to scent 

 us. The moon was also ahead of the punt, and although 

 she illuminated the tide before us, we were, naturally, 

 obscured from the keen-sighted fowl ; and so well did 

 Thomas understand his work that the punt moved through 

 the water as silently as a drifting log. 



After several minutes of anxious watching, five dim 

 forms emerged from a muddy gut, which, after worming 

 its sinuous course through many acres of saltings, ran 

 into the creek at a point some thirty yards beyond the 

 punt. Now, unfortunately, my sight is not so good as it 

 used to be, and, uncertain as to whether the forms in 

 question were blobs of spume, bunches of seaweed, or 

 widgeon, I hesitated before firing ; but a " Why don't 'ee 

 pull, maister ? " from the puntsman set at rest any doubts 

 which I might have entertained on this point. Aiming 

 at a couple of the duck swimming almost wing to wing, I 

 pulled, and as the smoke of the heavy charge of black 

 powder cleared away, I saw both lying paddles upward 

 on the tide. The 8-bore was but single -barrelled, other- 

 wise I might, perhaps, have got another successful shot 

 into the little company of widgeon. 



" Why didn't you shoot ? " I asked Gilson, as he 

 laid done his undischarged 10-bore muzzle-loader on the 

 floor of the punt. 



" The blazin' owd iron wor only at half-cock, and 



