MONTAUK POINT. 183 



hills, and reloading our gun, we hasten to gather up 

 the slain. 



Six with the right and three with the left barrel, 

 are pretty well for a beginning ; but we had better 

 have remained at our post, for while we are chasing 

 up one of the wounded birds, two naore flocks pass 

 within easy range of our hiding-place. Hurriedly- 

 twisting the neck of the fugitive, we resume our 

 lonely watch, and before the breakfast-hour of eight, 

 which our unwontedly early exertions have made a 

 somewhat serious epoch, we have had two more 

 double shots, and increased our score to twenty-one. 

 Beautiful, " beautiful exceedingly" is the burden of 

 game which we proudly carry back to our inn, leav- 

 ing our stools as they stand. 



A hearty breakfast makes us feel like a new man, 

 and, after a fair discussion of its merits, lighting our 

 pipe, we again wend our way to the scene of our 

 triumph. The cry is still they come ; flock after 

 flock presents its compliments, and leaves memen- 

 toes of its presence ; but towards noon the hot sun 

 disposes the birds to listless inactivity, the flight 

 diminishes, and finally stops. Returning to the house 

 with a bag larger by only three birds than that of 

 the morning, we kill the hours before dinner by a 

 few casts into the breakers, and land a ten-pound 

 bass. 



With sharpened appetite, we welcome the savory 

 dinner, and are quite contented to rest and let our 

 prey rest till five o'clock, when fifteen more birds 

 reward our post-prandial exertions, and make up a 



