88 PHEASANTS 



out. About eleven the whole party was assembled, 

 amounting to eighteen sportsmen, or rather 

 shooters. 



After taking coffee, we set out for the field of 

 battle. The whole of a very extensive wood was 

 surrounded by a net about four feet high, which 

 was watched by women and children at every 

 hundred yards. A vast number of gamekeepers and 

 peasants had been employed all day and night in 

 driving game within this net. Our scene of action 

 was a piece of low, thick grassy cover about 900 

 yards long and 350 wide ; this was surrounded on 

 all sides by high copse wood. 



The first measure adopted was to allot to every 

 shooter his post. Eighteen stakes were numbered 

 for that purpose, a ticket corresponding with that 

 number having been previously given to us, and 

 we had each of us the path pointed out that we 

 were to pursue. Each man was at about 20 yards 

 from his neighbour, and this intermediate space 

 was filled up by peasants, so that the whole formed 

 a complete and almost compact line, having its 

 flanks on the high wood, and sweeping the Remise 

 or low cover from side to side. 



Each shooter had three people to attend him 

 for the purpose of loading his guns, of which he 

 had a relay of six, carried on a stand behind by a 

 peasant. Some of us had for loaders grenadiers 

 from the Prince's bodyguards, the finest men I 

 ever saw. 



We walked six times backwards and forwards 



