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. "Aren't they, Roderick?"
The keeper regarded the two birds contemptuously, and shook his head.
"Well, Waveney, we will give you five minutes' grace, if you like," Sir Hugh said. "Sit down and have a pipe."
But this slim and wiry warrior had not even taken the gun from his shoulder.
"No, no," said he, "if you are ready, I am. I can get plenty of smoking done in the South."