128 MELTON AND HOMESPUN 



"I'll be after ye to-morrer eve; so don't 'ee worrit ! " 

 between the whiffs which he takes at a short and particu- 

 larly black " nose-warmer." 



Gilson was up betimes next morning, and called at 

 the surgery while the Doctor was breakfasting. 



" The main herd o' geeze be corned in. I heered they 

 last night in flight to the banks," opened the old gunner, 

 upon being ushered into the Doctor's presence. " Do 

 'ee be at the dole-stone [parish boundary-stone] jest afore 

 sundown this even, maister. I do reckon on gettin' 

 clean under the line o' flight-like." 



But " Gaffer " Gilson was not the only man in Ooze- 

 leigh who knew of the arrival of the " pink-foots." Tom 

 MuUins and his mate, Hoppy Brill, while setting out to 

 gather cockles at peep o' day, had heard " the geeze a- 

 talkin' " as the big grey birds flighted from the banks to 

 feed upon the wheat and barley stubbles inland. Neither 

 of the cocklers, however, cared a rap for gunning ; indeed, 

 they voted it very poor sport in comparison with flight- 

 netting — a somewhat questionable, albeit legal, method 

 of " birding," by which a considerable number of 'fowl 

 are sometimes taken during the morning and evening 

 flights. 



The annual invasion by the grey-feathered legions 

 of the far North is the great event of the season amongst 

 the hardy shore-shooters of Oozeleigh. The news spreads 

 like fire in a timber-yard, and great is the overhauling 

 of " shootin'-irons," from cumbrous 4-bore breech-loaders 

 and antiquated " 'cussion-guns," enormously long in the 

 barrel, and warranted — by their owners — to knock over a 

 goose dead as a door nail at 100 yards' range, down to the 

 light and delicate-looking 20-bore hammerless, a charge 



