62 INDIAN PIGEONS AND DOVES 



was rough, and we had some thirty miles to go, first along the coast 

 and then up the river, and as we were delayed by having to rescue 

 two Chinamen from a nearly swamped sampan, it was mid-day 

 before we reached the mouth of the river. Tiffin taken on board 

 and with no further delay, we arrived at our destination about 4 p.m., 

 pulling up at a tangled mass of mangrove trees, about six acres in extent 

 standing out of the water almost in mid-stream, and the river, even 

 here, was almost a mile wide. 



" This was our shooting ground, and most uninviting it looked 

 with the tide half out and the gaunt finger-like roots of the trees exposed, 

 to say nothing of the stench arising from the filthy black mud which 

 was becoming more and more visible every minute. But there was 

 no time to waste, for the Pigeons might begin to arrive at any moment. 

 The only question to settle was whether to stand in the mud and water 

 near the trees, in which case one was Hable to sink in deeper than 

 would be pleasant, or to squat in a tiny dug-out canoe which rocked 

 dangerously at the sKghtest move ; choosing the lesser of two evils 

 we each cautiously crept into a canoe — they had been ordered before- 

 hand, and were waitmg for us — and proceeded to take up our positions 

 around the island. I can weU remember my feehngs as time kept 

 sHpping away and the sun sunk lower and lower, and the mosquitoes 

 became more and more attentive, and could not help thinking the 

 whole affair was going to turn out a farce, when from across the river 

 I saw a small sort of cloud which increased rapidly in size and was 

 evidently coming towards me. Could it be the Pigeons 1 A very 

 few moments settled the question, for with a swish and whirl of wings 

 they were down, not on us, but on the trees. Talk about a hot corner 

 at a pheasant battue or partridge drive ! Child's play to this ! And 

 I was soon firing as fast as I could load, but alas ! with poor results ; 

 then a rest of a few minutes and a simUar burst of fire round the other 

 sides told me that my companions were hotly engaged. But there 

 was no time to speak now, scarcely time to think, for on came the 

 Pigeons, battahon after battalion, mass after mass, from aU quarters 

 of the globe ; a truly marveUous sight, and one would have imagined 

 that the slaughter would have been correspondingly great, and that 

 one would only have to fire at one bird to brmg down haK a dozen- 

 as IS actuaUy the case at the beginnmg of the season before the birds 

 have been much shot at and frightened and rendered cunnmg and 



