PEEP O' DAY ON THE SALTINGS 249 



Despite his late vigil at the bedside of the sick fisher- 

 man, Dr. Carter turned up at the fall-gate fully ten 

 minutes before the appointed time, to find his humble 

 friend and tutor in matters appertaining to wildfowl and 

 wildfowling awaiting his advent, and puffing away at a 

 short black clay pipe. 



" How du yew du, Doctor? Theer be nothin' o' the 

 dodman [snail] about yew 'smarninV was the wild- 

 fowler's greeting. Then, having very carefully knocked 

 the glowing ashes from the treasured " nose- warmer," 

 he flung his antiquated but trusty old lo-bore pin- 

 fire across one broad shoulder, a hand-made canvas 

 cartridge-bag over the other, and led the way along the 

 bank of the great dyke until what is locally known as 

 the Dole Stone [boundary-stone] was reached, when a 

 high sea-wall had to be negotiated. The wall crossed, 

 the gunners found themselves on a wide expanse of salt- 

 marshes. 



It was growing lighter as " Long " Perry piloted his 

 companion across the gully intersected saltings as easily 

 as though it had been broad daylight. Soon an old 

 gunning-pit was arrived at, and a " Do 'ee hoad the 

 shootin'-irons, Doctor, while I dydle out the sluss," the 

 fowler, armed with an old bucket, proceeded to bail out 

 the superfluous water that remained in the pit from the 

 last spring-tides. This work occupied not many minutes, 

 and, without wasting words or time, Perry paid a visit 

 to a convenient stack on the neighbouring marshes, 

 and shortly returned, carrying well-nigh a truss of sweet- 

 scented hay on his back. 



' That owd duck-hole be as clean and comfortable as 

 a little housen, danged if it bain't ! " declared Perry. 



