183 



GRAYWINGS 



" OuANK ! Ouank!" cried a wild goose. It 

 was a cry of alarm. 



A whole flock of wild geese were feeding in 

 among the marshes. Five of the flock were acting 

 as sentries. It was their duty to watch for danger 

 while the rest of the flock fed. It was one of these 

 sentries that had given the cry of warning. 



At the sound, the flock rose from among 

 the reeds with a great flapping and beating of 

 wings, but the cry had come too late. As they 

 rose in their flight there were loud reports from 

 two guns. Bang — bang ! and bang — bang ! 



Three geese fell from the flock. They had been 

 shot. 



Two were dead. They fell as heavy as stones, 

 turning over and over as they came down. The 

 other fell flapping and struggling. It was only 

 wounded. It was still alive when the hunters 

 found it, later on, among the reeds. One wing 

 trailed at Its side, useless and blood-stained. The 

 bone had been broken. 



The hunters did not kill it. One of them said 



