SHOOTING OVER DECOYS 



I 



During a short visit to the pleasant town of Verulam 

 I learned that decent sport with yellow fish was obtainable 

 in a small neighbouring river. I made some very fair 

 catches of these fish, which, although they ran to no great 

 size, afforded good fun on a light rod and the finest of 

 drawn-gut, while every now and again I experienced 

 a diversion in the sport by landing a hideous bearded 

 mud-fish or barbel. 



Yellow fish and barbel fishing is not bad in its way, 

 but after a time I began to feel that sport of a more 

 exciting nature would not be amiss. I therefore made 

 inquiries regarding the shooting obtainable on some 

 small lagoons lying a few miles outside Verulam, and 

 was advised to pay a visit to a certain young Englishman, 

 who held the post of Resident Engineer on the Zululand 

 Government Railway, and whose bungalow was situated 

 near the shore of one of the larger lagoons. 



I took an early opportunity of riding over to call upon 



Mr. B , the engineer, whom I found to be a remarkably 



fine specimen of humanity, for he stood 6 ft. 2 in. in 



his stockings and was splendidly proportioned. He was 



moreover an excellent all-round sportsman, a genial 



companion, and spoke the Zulu tongue almost as fluently 



as a native. 



My new friend promised that, upon a favourable day 

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