BREAKING AND HANDLING, 289 



the recognition of the scent, but you will save yourself from 

 any suspicion of dullness. The proper form to observe is 

 to exclaim : There he is! HE'S GOT. EM ! If the birds are at 

 all wild or the dog timid, it is well to repeat this three or 

 four times in louder tones. 



Every time you miss a bird, stop and explain in elaborate 

 detail just how excusably you did it. It will show that 

 the miss, although a miss, was a commendable miss, and was 

 made under such peculiar disadvantages of bad cartridges, 

 ones either with the shot left out or which dropped out ; or 

 no wads between powder and shot ; or bad powder ; hang 

 fire ; aberration in the gun, it having too long, too straight 

 or too crooked a stock, or is not balanced properly ; or the 

 dog did not work just right ; or the birds flushed in an 

 unusual manner ; or your friend stood in the wrong place 

 on the whole, the miss being so nicely executed, under 

 adverse circumstances, that it unquestionably is superior to 

 a clean kill. The sportsman cannot go wrong on any or all 

 of these reasons, as they are sanctioned by common usage in 

 some very good circles. Your friend, however, will merely 

 consider that you made a plain, unornamented miss ; yet he 

 will be delighted to listen to the descriptions and excuses 

 after every miss. The manly reason of want of skill or 

 error would concisely settle the matter, and your friend 

 would then indorse your reason. Some very good sports- 

 men avoid the trouble of excuses or reasons by rolling out 

 a voluminous, sonorous, full-fledged oath. It usually 

 appears to be in the nature of a soliloquy and probably is 

 due to an excess of self-consciousness. 



If you are hunting from horseback, and your friend's dog 

 gets in front of you, ride over him if he happens to stop ; or 

 reach over and give him a vigorous poke in the ribs with 

 the muzzle of your loaded gun. 



Carry your gun loaded when on horseback or in a wagon. 



