PHEASANT SHOOTING IN NORTHERN INDIA. 799 



hastily look round i'or the easiest way to them, and then the native 

 beckons me and we make off. He well knows I wish him to keep wide 

 of them until well beneath them, and then work up towards them. 

 In ten minutes we are below them, then we |)roceed more cautiously 

 down into the bed of the now dry torrent. Here 1 halt, and tuniins 

 round, meet the bright questioning eyes of my little spaniel, no need 

 to speak ; a wave of the hand and she is oif, going at full speed. She 

 makes a cast 100 yards in front of iis, and a little above, and then 

 returns going at top speed all the time until reaching a ledge in 

 the middle of the water-course, she suddenly stops and turns. A two 

 seconds' examination of the ground with her noso, and up she goes 

 straight up the nullah bed and is soon lost to sight amidst boulders 

 and overhanging foliage. 1 hear nothing for a minute, and then yap, 

 yap, with a peculiar intonation that I know means pheasant running 

 ahead of me, as well as if she spoke. The next second there is a whirr 

 of rushing wings, and out dash two birds almofit simultaneously. 

 They are straight above us, and must see us immediately they 

 clear the tree-tops, but not a jot do they care, their object 

 is the khud below us, and down they come, straight as a die, 

 with outspread motionless wings. I shoot at the first far in front 

 as I know from experience I shall have to turn my quickest to get a 

 shot at the other. As I turn, the first bird hits a rock by my feet, 

 fhe second bird was still clear of trees when I fired, but he disappears, 

 but greatly to our surprise we see him again for a second as he tops 

 the trees, moving straight upwards, and then turns over and falls with 

 a crash. This is a bit of luck, for had he not towered we should have 

 lost him. The spaniel has meantime rushed down to us, noses the bird 

 near my feet, and then her eyes follow me. She hears the crash 

 below and is off. I tell the native to follow, as it is far down, and the 

 bird is large for her to carry; but she appears again in a few minutes 

 and lays the bird at my feet, and then lies panting and wagging her 

 tail, I whistle for the native and he returns, and picking up the birds 

 makes his way after me, scrambling up the torrent bed. On reachiucr 

 the place where the birds rose, I again wave the s[;aniel forward ; she 

 dashes hither and thither for a minute and is then off again towards 

 the crest, and very soon there is another yap, yap, and I get a glimpse 

 of a bird topping the trees and then just time for a snap as he swishes 



past me, this time l)etween the trees. I. cannot hear or see any result, 

 4 



