Wild-Geese in Spain 117 



From the turrets of our shooting-lodge one's eye surveyed — no 

 longer an inland sea, but a monotone of sun-baked mud ; inspec- 

 tion through binoculars revealed the fact that this whole space 

 was dotted with troops of . . . well, a friend who was with us 

 thought they were sheep ; but which, in fact, were bands of 

 greylag geese. 



The fluctuations of Spanish seasons — varying from Noachian 

 deluge to Saharan drought — necessarily react upon the habits of 

 wildfowl. These changes are one of the charms of the country ; 

 at any rate, they "stretch out" the fowler to devise some new 

 thing. 



Those battalions of greylags posted out there on a vantage- 

 ground where a mouse .- ^^ 



might be a prominent ob- v f "\ 



ject at 100 yards, how can ^^\ 



they be reduced to posses- V 



siori { (Jur iriend aioresaid / x<^-^^^ \ 



replies that the undertaking ' '"x' '"*'" « 



appears humanly impos- V yy,Zo ; 



sible. We have, neverthe- \ f f/ 



less, elaborated a system \ ^^ / 



of drivins:, by which in '^C ^--^ 



dry years the greylag ^^ "^ 



geese may be obtained with some degree of certainty. 



This morning (the last of January) we rode forth, four guns 

 and four keepers, across that plain. Upon approaching the pack 

 of geese selected, one keeper rides to a position rather above 

 the " half-wind " line, and there halts as a " stop." The remaining 

 seven ride on till, at a silent signal. No. 1 gun, without checking 

 his horse, passes the bridle forward and rolls out of the saddle with 

 gun and gear, lying at once flat as a Hounder on the bare dry 

 mud. At intervals of eighty yards each successive gun does the 

 same, the four being now extended in a half-moon that commands 

 nearly a quarter-mile of space. The three keepers (leading the 

 other horses) continue riding forward in circular course till a 

 second " stop " is placed in the right flank corresponding with 

 the one already posted on the left. The last pair now complete 

 the circuit by riding round to windward of the game, separating 

 by 200 yards as that position is attained. (See diagram.) 



How are these four guns to conceal themselves on perfectly 



