170 WILD-FOWL AND SEA-FOWL OF GREAT BRITAIN 



the best means of getting her out. As the drift-ice 

 was naturally close in to the shore, the punt, if once 

 got clear of it, would be all right, and as there was 

 no wind, matters were not likely to be hopeless. In 

 fact the thing was soon settled, one or two lanterns 

 throwing a friendly light on the subject, while a 

 couple of stout skiffs made their appearance from 

 somewhere, each holding a couple of men, one with 

 a pole and the other with a scull-oar just to keep way 

 on her. 



When all was ready, the order was given to 

 " douse the lanterns," and the start was made, the 

 fowling-punt being actually towed out into open 

 water by the two skiffs. It was not a long job, 

 only just a cut of the creek, and a short one fortun- 

 ately, for thousands of them exist out of sight, a 

 circumstance which makes this part prove treacherous 

 to strangers, and sometimes even to the natives 

 themselves. 



In about twenty minutes the skiffs returned, 

 bringing the interesting information that the geese 

 were close in. There could not be the least doubt 

 about that, for their clang could be heard like a 

 pack of hounds coming over the water. The geese 

 had fed well, as, although there was drift-ice about, 

 none had formed on this part of the sheltered mud- 

 flats : what ice there was was only travelling drift 

 brought up by the tide from below, and was not 

 thick enough to injure the punt, only sufficiently so 

 to make it inconvenient for her to get out by herself 



The small company of fishers and shore-shooters 



