Long Tails and Short Ones. 63 



particularly if you happen in. your company to have a careless or over-eager 

 shot. Some men are simply frightful in this way, and will be cutting the 

 twigs about your ears, and the sensation of hearing the " whish " of shot 

 and the shower of twigs just over your head is anything but good for one's 

 nerves, and the wonder is that so few serious accidents yearly happen. 



There is an old story — a very well known one — of how a shot of this sort 

 was served out. He had very nearly peppered his next neighbour several 

 times, and had been warned pretty foi'cibly. Indeed, on the last occasion, 

 the victim had used strong language, and avowed that if his friend did 

 it again he would "warm him" in return. Once again the shot came 

 hurtling around his head. 



" Who shot then ? " he called out. 



" I did," said his friend. 



" Where are you? " 



" Here ! " 



"Where ? I can't see you. Hold up your hand." 



Up went the hand. " Bang ! " 



" Oh ! you've shot me in the hand." 



" Told you I would," growled the injured man. " D'y® think I'm going 

 to let you shoot at me all day without having a turn at you ? Not 

 exactly." 



I don't know whether the story is true, but it is ben trovato, if it isn't, 

 and I always tell it when I iind a fellow shooting all over the shop, as if 

 there was no one else within a mile or two. Unless I know that the way 

 is quite clear I never shoot at ground game. I don't like shaves, and I 

 don't like standing back a yard or two in the bushes for a man to pot a 

 rabbit in the ride in my direction. It may be clever, but it is deuced 

 unsatisfactory. Let the beast go ; you'll have him another day. 



I never shot but one man in my life, and he was a bricklayer, and 

 earned it. We had some pigeons in a private field out at Olapham when 

 I was a youngster. There was a high wall round a good part of it. There 

 happened to be some houses building in the neighbourhood, and two 

 bricklayers climbed up and looked over our wall, leaning on it to see the 

 sport. They were warned again and again that they were in a very 



