enough for one man to drag, if necessary, and a long 

 painter will be helpful in tying the boat at low tide. 



BOO 75 



Good hip boots are a comfort in snipe 

 shooting. So much wading and mud-walk- 

 ing must be done, that ordinary shoes would 

 be useless. The boots should fit tightly, of 

 the clinging mud will pull them from your 

 feet. It is an exasperating thing to get stuck 

 in the mud. The harder you pull on one 

 foot to get it free, the more firmly planted 

 your other foot gets ; at last, covered with 

 mud and perspiration, you gain the bank, 

 and make a solemn vow that the snipe marshes will 

 never see you again. As a flock of snipe usually 

 choose this inopportune time for decoying, you must 

 be an enthusiast indeed to remain calm. But it is 

 the clothes we wear that make us clumsy. A man 

 can go through the stickiest mud without much 

 trouble if his legs are bare. When the hunter is 

 caught in quicksand, or a mud hole, he should pull his 

 feet out of his boots ; then he can move more easily. 



TIDES 



A good knowledge of the tides is of great 

 importance to the snipe hunter. It not only enables 



16 



