WILDFOWLING IN THE WILDERNESS. 391 



dropping tire, and in a few minutes more even this shooting 

 at ghosts became no longer possible. Then came the 

 splashing of horses, and I knew that Caraballo was coming 

 to look for me, and a good line he took in the dark and 

 featureless morass. 



Half an hour later we were beginning to assemble at the 

 bonfire of blazing samphire-bushes which had been lighted 

 as a beacon to gather around. The day ended with a 

 slight contretemps : one of our party with his servant was 

 missing. No answer could be obtained to our signals : nor 

 on our arrival at the lodge were the lost ones there. 

 Though there could be no danger, yet it would be most 

 unpleasant for our friend to pass the night in the wilds 

 without food or shelter. At ten o'clock keepers were 



GREYLAGS— DAYBREAK. 



despatched to scour the country, but it was four hours 

 later ere Manuel (at 2 a.m.) returned with the luckless 

 wanderers in charge. They had mistaken our beacon, 

 and had steered for what proved to be a charcoal-burning 

 miles away. 



When the tale of slain had been told off, and "Vasquez 

 brought in the totals as 81 geese and over 300 ducks 

 (besides sundries) for the day, we were inclined to forget 

 those unresponsive greylags, and to imagine that, for flight- 

 shooting, with 12-bores, at passing fowl, such results were 

 not to be obtained every day, nor in every land.* 



* In the previous year (1888) the opening bag was 37 geese, 373 

 ducks, and 46 various. 



