THE SURGEON'S FIRST GOOSE 



" The ode geeze be a-comin' in, Doctor. I seen seven 

 flightin' over the meal-marshes last evening as ever was," 

 declared " Gaffer " Gilson enthusiastically, as the local 

 surgeon dressed the old wildfowler's left hand, which had 

 been badly poisoned by the venom-charged spines of a 

 " bullrout," a small and particularly ill-favoured species 

 of the Gurnard family. 



" Well done, Gilson ! We must get your fin mended 

 before the big herd arrives, or you won't be able to use 

 the old 4-bore shoulder-kicker," replied Dr. Conway, who, 

 under the able tuition of the sexagenarian gunner, had 

 become a very keen wildfowler during a five years' sojourn 

 in the at one time important fishing town of Oozeleigh — 

 it appears under a different name on the map — which 

 lies on the fringe of the Norfolk marshes. But the little 

 surgeon had never been fortunate enough to bag a pink- 

 footed goose, although he had been out after those wary 

 of wary birds in every kind of light and weather. 



" I'll let you know when the ode geeze du come in, for 

 sure. Doctor, and I doubt not t' ode blunderbust will 

 bark loud as ever — and bite as hard, too — when the time 

 du come for her to bark," were the parting words of 

 Gilson, as, with the gammy hand neatly swathed in lint, 

 he clattered away from the surgery towards his reed- 

 thatched cottage on the neighbouring marshes ; the heavily 

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