294 Sport and Life in the Further Himalaya 



duck came overhead, but I was not quick enough 

 to get on them ; and, indeed, if the reader has 

 ever sat in a canoe he will know that a shot to 

 the right is an impossibility, and in any other 

 direction quite difficult enough. Some teal next 

 came by, sixty miles an hour, with a like result. 

 This was not cheering ; but the sight for which 

 we hoped was a big gathering of duck on the 

 water, and then a raking shot with the four-bore 

 into the middle of them, and this was not long 

 in coming. At the next turn, a dark line across 

 the water, three or four hundred yards ahead, 

 showed with the glasses a big gathering of 

 mallard. The four -bore was cocked, and we 

 slowly bore down on them. Soon we could see 

 the duck, not thoroughly alarmed, but swimming 

 strongly away from us. Then they apparently 

 made up their minds to let the strange mass of 

 weeds float by them, for they huddled under the 

 willows on the bank in a dense mass. We were 

 not more than a hundred yards from them, and 

 in another twenty yards I intended to let drive. 

 I will admit that I was not convinced that the 

 firing of the four-bore would not capsize the canoe ; 

 and though he uttered not a word, it appeared that 

 there were similar doubts in Gul Sher's mind. 

 The mistake was that when I pulled the trigger 

 the canoe was not end on with the line of fire. 



