and the Maritime Provinces. 201 



was covered with water at high tide, I did flush a brace of graybacks and 

 three sandpipers, but they rose wild. The two graybacks hastily slipped 

 over the crown of a sand dune and were lost to sight, while the three peeps 

 circled around the pond twice and then settled again near where they first 

 showed up. A little farther inland I heard a familiar sound overhead, and 

 looking up I saw three fine snipe high in the air steering due south, straight 

 for Nantucket, though all of a sudden they tacked and flew "nor' nor'west 

 by nothe," as the seafaring men would say. 



" Scaip ! scaip " / they all cried, and it might have seemed an escape 

 to them, though, to tell the truth under breath, I had no gun with me. To 

 me it did not seem a very close call, by the sound. Later on I saw a 

 flicker fly out of a patch of scrub-oaks and alight on the top rail of a 

 neighboring fence ; and afterward we started up a robin and a chewink 

 near the hotel veranda. But we saw no other birds of any kind as we 

 traversed the upland. These did not, of course, excite any great amount 

 of enthusiasm in themselves, but I remarked to my wife, who accompanied 

 me, as we slumped into the armchairs on the porch, that it was a pity to 

 lose such chances on game in consequence of having no gun, and she nat- 

 urally acquiesced. At that time it was about four o 'clock, and our motor 

 was to leave for town at six. 



Just at that juncture we happened to descry the figure of a man clad 

 in black emerging from behind an adjacent point of scrub-oak woods with 

 a gun on his shoulder and a doubtful sort of dog following, headed for the 

 beach. I could not repress an outburst of envy at the sight. 



" There, now ! " I exclaimed, " I was sure this was a good day for 

 shore birds, and that man is bound to have some rare sport. These island 

 gunners know a good clay when it comes, and let no chance go by if they 

 can help it. You hear me"? 



Even while I spoke the figure halted and the dog in attendance sat 

 down. Then a puff of blue smoke was projected into the atmosphere. 



" He 's got one already " ! I said. 



We did not see him pick up anything at the moment, and the dog 

 appeared not interested, or else absent-minded. At all events, he sat quite 

 still. At first we were inclined to wonder at this, but when the man with 

 the gun presently shot a second time, and again, without moving from his 

 position, we decided that he knew his business thoroughly, no doubt of it. 



" The birds always come around back to the same place if you wait," 

 I explained. " After he has shot again he will gather up the game." 



" Does n't the sportsman's dog usually retrieve the birds"? Madam 

 asked. 



"Why — er — well, yes ; that is, when they fall into deep water out 

 of reach, or into briar patches, or tall grass, where the man cannot find 

 them himself." 



