Sooner or later I know she'll startle some solitary shepherd out of
his senses: he'll come back to his hut swearing that he has seen a Gray
Lady where no mortal woman could be. Hullo, there's Waveney again--he'll
soon be on them."
They could see him stealing across the top of the hillock, and then
making his way down behind certain rocks that served as a screen between
him and the birds. Then he disappeared again.
"Why doesn't he fire?" Lionel asked, presently. "He must be quite close
to them."
"Not so close as you imagine," was the answer. "Probably he is waiting
until they come nearer together."
The next moment there stepped boldly forth the slight, brown figure; the
birds instantly rose from the water and, with swift, straight flight,
made down the valley; but they had not got many yards when there were
two white puffs of smoke, both birds almost simultaneously came tumbling
to the ground, and then followed the double report of a gun.
"Waveney has got his eye in to-day for certain," Sir Hugh said. "But
what's the use of his bringing the birds along?--they're no good to
anybody."
"I thought perhaps they might be of some use for salmon-flies," Captain
Waveney explained, as he came up.
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