"Hist!" whispered Phra, pointing. "That's a bird you've not shot yet."
"Yes, like the one you missed that day. Let me try for this one.—How tiresome! it's gone in beneath the bushes."
It was evidently a bird of secretive habit, for it had dived into a dense place; but just as Harry was about to give up, and tell the man to go on, the bird came into sight again, rose from the top of a low tree, and was in the act of flying across the opening, when Harry raised his gun quickly and fired.
"Down?" he said. "I couldn't see for the smoke."
"No," said Phra; "it flew right away yonder."
"Oh, it couldn't; I took such a careful aim. Did you see it?" he asked the men.
They both replied in the affirmative, and Harry looked puzzled.
"It seems queer," he said, beginning to reload his gun. "I don't know how I could have missed."
"I know," cried Phra. "You loaded to frighten the monkey."
"And did not put any shot in!" cried Harry. "Oh, how stupid!"