122 MELTON AND HOMESPUN 



into these roots. As outside gun on the left flank, my 

 beat led me along the bank of a wide and brimming, 

 sedge-fringed dyke, which looked as though it might 

 hold duck. I had almost forgotten to mention that a 

 steady old retriever, of the now well-nigh extinct brown 

 curly breed, and a brace of somewhat leggy but remarkably 

 fast-working and clever water spaniels, formed a very 

 important part of what our American cousins are wont 

 to call " the outfit." One of the spaniels, who — seeing 

 that she was a bitch — bore the somewhat incongruous title 

 of " Captain," accompanied me, and into the dense reed 

 cover she went, throwing me a backward glance as though 

 to say, " If there is anything to be found, you bet I'll 

 find it ! " The first marsh shot happened to consist of 

 rough grass, dry bushes, and other rank ground-cover, 

 and being but a narrow strip of land, one beat sufficed 

 to shoot it. The guns on my right were soon busy, for 

 a covey of ten or eleven well-grown partridges, after rising 

 just out of range of myself, ran the gauntlet of the line. 

 Four of the covey failed to reach the neighbouring marshes 

 situated on the further side of the tidal creek, and as I 

 watched the remainder pass over the sea-wall, it seemed 

 to me that one of their number dropped on to the saltings 

 beyond the escarpment. My eyes probably deceived 

 me, however, as old Rake, the retriever, failed to find 

 the supposed " dropper " when taken to the spot. A 

 thumping big hare was next set afoot and very promptly 

 bowled over by N., the report of whose 12-bore had hardly 

 died away when " Captain " gave a whimper, which 

 put me very much on the alert. Another whimper, 

 followed by a little dash amongst the sedges, and up 

 sprang a leash of mallard from apparently under the nose 



