WILDFOWLING IN THE WILDERNESS. 38f> 



air. Hardly had the firing commenced than these betook 

 themselves to the dry marisma where they made shift 

 to feed on the roots of the castanuela (spear-grass). This 

 circumstance, however, was foreseen, and troubled us little ; 

 it is the geese comituj in that offer sport, not the geese 

 going out, and we well knew that before night they would 

 1)6 needing a cool draught at the pools of Eetuerta. 



At the end of two hours, the writer left his battery to 

 collect his spoils ; a goodly pile of ducks, besides three 

 geese and two flamingoes, though perhaps not in due 

 proportion to the heap of emptied cartridges. About a 

 quarter-mile away lay the shore, to which, during the 

 mid-day interlude, I made my way through water, mud, 

 and matted tamarisk. The nearer strand, where cattle 

 had cropped the rush, was alive with snipe, while amidst 

 the heavier covert beyond, numbers of teal had sought 

 asylum. With these, and passing ducks, there was plenty 

 of employment, and at the end of an hour, when it was 

 necessary to flounder back to the battery, I had exhausted 

 my cartridges and formed sundry piles of slain — in all 

 nineteen ducks, two geese (right and left) and over twenty 

 snipe, besides a bittern and a few " various." 



The sun was now lowering, and the return of the geese 

 might be looked for. I had started none too soon on the 

 return " plodge," for with the heavy walking and yet 

 heavier burden, I had hardly ensconced myself in my 

 battery ere the welcome konk ! konk ! was audible, and 

 some twenty greylags came gliding in. Straight for the 

 sunken tub they held their course, and not till almost 

 overhead did they descry the lurking gun. Then with 

 redoubled flaps they swerved off, changing the downward 

 gliding flight for an upward movement ; but, though for a 

 moment they hung in air, yet, somehow, it took both 

 barrels ere the leader collapsed. Shot after shot at what 

 appeared a fatal range failed to stop them dean, and I 

 decided to let the next come in even nearer. This time 

 only three came drifting down. They passed within shot, 

 l)ut I refrained ; wheeled round the pool, and headed 

 straight in ; there was no mistake this time — the geese were 



