XIX STALKING GEESE 175 



down, and very soon a long line of geese came cackling and 

 chattering within fifteen yards of me, and I killed a brace with 

 no trouble. In the afternoon, while walking on the shore, I saw 

 a large flock of geese rise off the sea and fly inland, in a long 

 undulating line, evidently looking for a place to feed on. I 

 watched them with my glass, and saw the field in which they 

 alighted, at the distance of at least two miles from me. I sent 

 for Simon, and started in pursuit. We came within two fields 

 of the birds, and could advance no nearer without risk of putting 

 them up. On two sides of the field " in which they were 

 feeding," was a deep open drain ; and once in this we were 

 nearly sure of a shot. Luckily a farmer was ploughing in an 

 adjoining field, and though at every turn he approached the 

 ditch of the oatfield where the geese were, the birds, according 

 to their usual custom, took no notice of him. We joined the 

 ploughman, and keeping behind the horses, slipped unperceived 

 bjr the geese into the ditch, which, by the by, had in it about a 

 foot of the coldest water that I ever felt. It was deep enough, 

 however, to conceal us entirely, and following Simon I went 

 about three hundred yards down the drain, till we came to 

 another which ran at right angles to the first ; we turned along 

 this ditch, which, not being cut so deep as the other, obliged us 

 to stoop in a manner that made my back ache most unmerci- 

 fully. Simon appeared to understand exactly what he was at, 

 and to have a perfect knowledge of the geography of all the 

 drains in the country. Putting on a nondescript kind of cap, 

 made of dirty canvas, exactly the colour of a ploughed field, 

 he peered cautiously through a bunch of rushes which grew on 

 the ledge of the ditch ; then looking at me with a most satisfied 

 grin, floundered on again till he came to another ditch that 

 crossed us at right angles ; up this he went, and of course I 

 had nothing to do but to follow, though as I occasionally sank 

 above my knees into cold spring water, I began to wish all the 

 wild geese were consigned to his black majesty : we went about 

 a hundred yards up this last drain, till we came to a part where 

 a few rushes grew on the banks ; looking through these we saw 

 about fifty geese coming straight towards us, feeding ; we got 

 our guns cautiously on the top of the bank and waited till the 

 birds were within twenty-five yards of us, they then began to 

 turn to cross the field back again. Some were within shot, 



