66 SHOOTING AND SALMON FISHING 



Africa ; and until a return to England was made, followed by 

 a visit to the Clyde, we were in happy ignorance that our prized 

 bird was almost as common as a seagull. 



It was also at Runkel that the author was fined for taking 

 a hawk's nest ! One spring day we had inadvertendy strayed 

 over the march of the large shooting we had permission to 

 range over, and had climbed a tree for a hawk's nest ; on 

 descending we found our only and much-valued gun in the 

 hands of an old man, who, after roughly explaining he was the 

 keeper of the shooting on to which we had strayed, peremp- 

 torily called on us to follow him. 



Finding explanations of no avail, as he commenced to 

 move off with the precious weapon, we had no option but to 

 follow, learning while so doing that the town of Limburg and 

 a magistrate — both quite seven miles distant — was the point 

 the old jager was making for. He had the gun and carried a 

 stout stick as well, so there was no help for it, and we trudged 

 after him in a rage. The forest path was narrow, the old 

 man of the woods going first with our gun over his shoulder, 

 which we soon noticed was safely at half-cock, and that 

 he had no firm grip on the butt, so with one dashing spring 

 forward the barrels were seized, and possession of our treasure 

 was regained, almost ere the would-be captor understood 

 what had happened, while a hasty bolt at once disposed of 

 any chance he had of recovering it. Convinced by a few 

 futile efforts that it was hopeless to try to catch us, he turned 

 and went his way with many strange oaths, in spite of 

 some pressing invitations in our very best German to follow us 

 to Runkel. Three weeks went by and the matter was 

 forgotten, when a smart gendarme appeared one fine morning, 

 and handed in an invitation to come before the magistrate of 

 Limburg to answer a charge of assault and poaching ! Accom- 

 panied by our tutor, an appearance was duly made on the day 

 fixed, when a fine of two hundred gulden — or twenty pounds — 

 was the unsatisfactory result of a brief interview with the 



