SNIPE SHOOTING. oT, 
have been having a grand time. Keep a sharp watch, 
for this place must be full of them.’ 
“ There now! good shot! A tailer, and you grassed 
him beautifully If you make many shots like that, I 
shall leave all the tailers for you.” 
“ Thanks, William. Iam free to admit that those in- 
fernal cross shots I never could make, but straight- 
away! they are the ones I am after. When I was in 
Dakota after chickens, I never 
“Good enough! you ought to have missed it! Got 
up right under your feet, and went straight away,— 
your favorite shot, too. Here you were going to tell 
how you made a record in Dakota on straight-away 
shots, and missed the softest kind of a one, while trying 
to convince me of your skill.” 
“Well, Pllbe blamed! Honestly, I felt sorry for that 
snipe when I shot, for I thought it was too easy. I cer- 
tainly hold on it.” 
“Don’t doubt but you did, Ned. The reason you miss- 
ed was, at the instant you pulled the trigger the snipe 
changed its intentions, dropped about three feet as if it 
was going to light, then, at the crack of your gun con- 
cluded to move on. I didn’t shoot, because the smoke 
from your gun bothered me.” 
Thus the time passed away, until between us, with 
frequent misses and many brilliant shots, we had 
bagged about thirty birds. We had tramped steadily 
for full two hours, and Ned realized the fact when he 
said : 
“Look here, Will! In ancient times they used to 
punish violaters of the law, by placing them on racks 
and forcibly pulling their imbs apart. Do you know I 
think they make a great mistake. What they ought to 
4 
