will keep to the right. You take Dash, I will take Flirt."

In another ten minutes the reports of the guns followed close upon
each other, and the boys had the satisfaction of knocking down two
geese and eight ducks, which Dash brought ashore, beside others
which escaped. In five minutes more they heard a shout from their
father, who had bagged two more geese and three ducks. "That will
do, boys; we have got plenty for the next day or two, and we must
not alarm them by too much slaughter."

"Four geese and eleven ducks, papa, in five minutes," the boys
said, when they joined Mr. Hardy; "that is not bad shooting to
begin with."

"Not at all, boys. What with wild fowl and armadillos, I think that
at a pinch we could live for some time upon the produce of the
estate."

"You don't mean to say, papa, that they eat the armadillos?" Hubert
said with a look of suspicion.

"They do indeed, Hubert, and I am told that they are not at all bad
eating. Now let us go up to the rise again; our carts must be
nearly up."

By the time they reached the three trees they found that the rest
of the cavalcade was within a quarter of a mile, and in a few
minutes they came up.

The cattle and sheep required no attending. Immediately they found