THE ISLANDS OF THE BAY OF BENGAL. 59 



g aster) were wheeling* about overhead, disturbed by the rest 

 of the party who were fusilading in amongst the trees, as 

 though they had got up a bush fight on their own account. 



Presently I saw one of the party coming towards me along 

 the reef. Between us were several flocks of Crab-plover, and 

 near me one single block of dead coral, torn up, and hurled upon 

 the surface of the reef, by some storm. Behind this I knelt ; 

 presently I heard a shot. M. was never particular about 

 distance ; if he could 'nt get nearer than 150 yards why he fired 

 at 150 yards ; the results were not proportionate to the expendi- 

 ture of ammunition, but it seemed to relieve his feelings; and 

 if so why should' nt he ? Were we not out emphatically on a 

 pleasure trip, and who was to limit his indefeasible right to 

 do a little fancy shooting when the spirit moved him ? 



I sat quite still, and as I expected, a minute later past 

 swept a flock of Dromas ; not however as I had hoped close 

 along the edge of the reef, but. well out at sea. Then another 

 shot, then another party, and a few seconds later a sino-le 

 bird, not above 80 yards distant; a green cartridge A. A. 

 from a heavy No. 10 double that I was carrying dropped 

 him like a stone. The question now was how to get him. 

 The sea and wind were rising rapidly, there was getting up 

 a great surf at the edge of the reef which went down a dozen 

 fathoms deep almost perpendicularly ; a minute's watching 

 showed that a current was carrying the bird southwards. Any 

 one could have swam the distance, the thing was to get clear 

 of the reef, and then land again without being dashed to 

 pieces. One of the free lascars with me volunteered to make 

 the attempt, (I would rather have done it myself, but my 

 strained back quite crippled me) and choosing his place and 

 time, he did get out safely. It was touch and go at one 

 time ; he was thrown back twice to within a few yards of the 

 edge and we all got drenched and nearly drowned, standing 

 ready on the brink, over which the water was now rolling, to 

 catch him and prevent his being ground (a very unpleasant 

 operation for a naked man) against the coral. However by 

 diving like a grebe to escape the rush of the surface water, he 

 got clear of the surf and turmoil that fringed the reef, and soon 

 secured the bird, and then holding this above the water with his 

 left hand, swam, using his right arm only, some \ of a mile down 

 the reef to a place where the water was now deep above its edge, 

 and whence he easily made his way to land. The moment we 

 saw the bird secured we became aware of the fact that the sea, 

 now up to our waists, was really down upon us, and invigorated 



