The smoke of the powder hung about the sportsmen, while in the great roomy net of the game bag there were only three light little snipe.

And of these one had been killed by Veslovsky alone, and one by both of them together.

Meanwhile from the other side of the marsh came the sound of Stepan Arkadyevitch's shots, not frequent, but, as Levin fancied, well-directed, for almost after each they heard "Krak, Krak, _apporte_!" This excited Levin still more.

The snipe were floating continually in the air over the reeds.

Their whirring wings close to the earth, and their harsh cries high in the air, could be heard on all sides; the snipe that had risen first and flown up into the air, settled again before the sportsmen.