SNIPE-SHOOTING. 33 



like a tinker for almost the whole of the morn- 

 ing. Xot only were all the birJs on the wing 

 at once, but the places in which we found 

 them were so small that long before we had 

 time to steady down they had all gone, so 

 that twice I went back to the boat empty- 

 handed and disgusted. Frank shot fairly well, 

 but, except with him, I think in the morning 

 the snipe had decidedly the best of it. 



In spite of the water, these marshes are 

 full of people. Xot only do you hear con- 

 tinually the report of the native fowler's piece, 

 and see at every turn men sitting patiently 

 anoiino- or trimmmo- the clever reed nets with 

 which the water is full, but every reed jungle 

 has its system of water ways, along which you 

 meet the people of the marsh trudging as con- 

 tentedly knee-deep from village to village as 

 if they were on dry land. In one deep 

 thoroughfare m which I was going daintily, 

 trying at least to keep my knickerbockers dr}^, 



VOL. I. D 



