HISTORICAL NOTES 89 



the length of this Remise. Whenever the Hne 

 reached the extremities, it faced outwards from 

 the centre, and filed off by wings into the corners, 

 where it remained till the peasants had gone 

 beyond the high wood, and driven the game back 

 again into the low cover, so that but little could 

 escape us. The whole lasted till past 3 p.m. 



In advancing, no one was allowed to step out 

 and pick up the slain, but this was done by the 

 peasants as they stepped over them. The Remise 

 had here and there higher clumps of brushwood 

 interspersed with it, where I have seen the 

 pheasants rise by fifties together. They have 

 also rows of twisted stakes placed at intervals to 

 prevent their running. In these spots I have 

 fired my seven guns, one a double barrel, as fast 

 as they could hand them to me. I killed one 

 hundred and nine head myself, being well placed, 

 60 of which fell to my double-barrePd Manton. 

 I conjecture that I could not have fired less than 

 220 shots, and should certainly have been more 

 successful had my borrowed guns been equally 

 good. But the difference of their locks and make 

 rendered it extraordinary that I killed anything 

 with them — and, what is more so, that the ' Grand 

 maitre des chasses^ or Grand veneur (who always 

 presents an official report to the Prince after 

 dinner), should have stated what my modesty 

 ought to prevent my relating, that the 'Young 

 Englishman shot the best.' As nearly as I could 

 make out, I killed 25 hares, 2 woodcocks, 2 



