Arriving, we would lay ourselves down, and on the stones await the breaking of the dawn, when the wild-fowl feeding within the bay arise and fly to the south-ward over it. Dark objects, one after another, would glide by us, and in silence take their places along the bar, bent on the same sport that we were awaiting, and nothing would break the stillness save the gentle wash and ripple of the waves upon the sands, or the uneasy and discordant cry of the oldwives, feeding on the long sedge within the wide-extended bay. The stars would ere long begin to fade, the east grow grey, then streaked with light, and every sportsman’s piece be cocked with eager expectation. A flash—a puff of smoke at the extreme end, showed that a flock had risen, and simultaneously birds would be seen tumbling headlong. As the astonished flock glanced along the bar—flash—flash—puff—bang, would meet them, their numbers thinning at each discharge, till passing along the whole line of sportsmen, they would be almost annihilated; or wildly dashing through some wider interval in the chain of gunners, they would cross the bar and escape in safety. Then as the light increased followed the excitement; the birds getting up in dense flocks, all bent in one direction, a complete feu-de-joie saluted them—flash—flash—flash—the reports creeping slowly after, the wild-fowl tumbling headlong, some into the water, and some upon the sportsmen; while here a gunner, dropping his piece, might be seen rushing in up to his neck recklessly after his victim, and there some staunch dog’s nose just above the surface, unweariedly pursuing the wing-broken sufferer, which still fluttered forward at his near approach. Ah, ha! that—that was sport. Hundreds of wild-fowl, from the little graceful teal to the great fishy loon and red-head brant, were the fruits of the morning’s adventure. And what a contrast the sparkling eyes and glowing faces of the elated sportsmen to the city’s pale and care-worn countenances. They were a true democracy, white man, and black, and half-breed, the squire and the ploughman, all met in like equality.