166 TEN YEARS OF GAME-KEEPING 
ing began on that day, and thought I would take 
my gun with me on a million to one chance (never 
having seen a duck in those parts on August 1). I 
was stepping over a stile not more than twenty yards 
from my cottage door, when it began to drizzle. 
My gun was beautifully clean. As there was no 
object in getting it into a mess, I took it back. A 
few minutes afterwards nine duck came along about 
fifteen yards up, and just as they came over my 
head seven of them were in a bunch. 
