36 Sporting Notes in the Far East. 



of the frogs, or the swish of a startled duck's wing, along the top 

 of the reeds. 



It was now pitch dark, and I was utterly exhausted. I had up 

 till this, stuck to my gun and precious goose, but to enable me to 

 progress a little further, I was on the point of even laying them 

 down ; when, joy ! and strange as it may seem, I found myself 

 checked, by nothing more or less than the inner extremity of my 

 hiding place tape ; and of course I had then no difficulty in finding 

 the edge of the lagoon. 



I consider the discovering of my whereabouts, was most provi- 

 dential ; as had I given in, no one could have found me ; my 

 cartridges were too wet to fire to attract attention, and I must have 

 eventually subsided into the two feet of stagnant and noisome 

 water, that formed a fitting bed, for those terrible reeds. 



My skiff was now close at hand ; so picking up the 8 bore, I 

 reached the boat a miserable brute indeed, and for once the broad 

 Lancashire brogue of my skiff boy was most pleasant to my ears, 

 as he greeted me with : " Oi could in noa woise tell where yer 'ad 

 gottened to sorr, I thowt as 'ow yer were drooned." However a 

 good cup of hot cocoa, soon put matters straight ; and the four 

 miles pull back to the ship was only child's play, in comparison 

 with my late exertions. 



If a duck falls wounded into shallow water, and endeavours to 

 escape by diving, or by catching hold of the reeds at the bottom 



