“Well, you can certainly see them better,” he said rather grudgingly.
“Better! yes,” said the captain; “it’s a simple plan for anyone out shooting, and worth knowing.”
“But it can’t magnify,” said Mark.
“No,” replied the captain; “but it shades the eyes and seems to increase the length of their sight as they peer through these long tubes.”
“You’ll try for a few of the birds, I suppose?” said the mate.
“By all means. Half a dozen such fellows as those will make a capital addition to our table—I mean sandy floor, Mark,” he said, smiling.
The birds, as they neared them, seemed to take no heed till they attempted to land, and Mark could not help noticing the annoyance painted in the mate’s face, as, eager to have a shot at the fine fat-looking fellows, he saw them move off in a rapid run.
“Row a little farther,” said the captain.
This was done, and the boat was pulled a hundred yards and the same evolutions gone through on both sides.
“Why, I thought you said they were easy to shoot!” said the mate impatiently.