ON PLAIN AND PEAK 



new-comers. Noiselessly I slipped the cartridges 

 into my gun, and strained my eyes and neck in the 

 attempt to make out one old fellow who began to 

 ** Psh ar " just behind me. 



Gradually the light grew stronger. Here and 

 there I could dimly discern a dark spot on the 

 ground, which looked as if it might be a bird. The 

 clucking and gobbling told me, too, that two or three 

 cocks, at least, were in my immediate neighbour- 

 hood ; but still it was far too dark to shoot. 



It is at such times as this that one is always 

 possessed with a strong desire to sneeze, or cough, 

 or scratch oneself! The suspense of sitting perfectly 

 motionless was dreadful, and my legs both went 

 to sleep. 



But now the stars had, one by one, glimmered 

 and gone out ; and grey morning had really come. 

 The eastern sky blushed in the first rays of the 

 morning sun. and all Nature was awake, A roe- 

 buck, his horns covered with velvet and but half 

 grown, trotted shadow-like across the clearing ; and 

 a hare stole forth, and began to feed not ten yards 

 from my ambush. I could see three blackcock at 

 varying distances, but all out of shot, before me ; 

 and sharp angry clucking warned me that two rivals 

 were engaged in a desperate struggle in my rear. 



How to turn round that was the question. 



Slowly I twisted round on my seat, and with infi- 



102 



