Rabbit Shooting. 95 



just see the trap clearly all round, and that was all. Tony did not look 

 quite so confident then, but still hacked himself. The first linnet, a 

 green bird, was put in the trap. " Are you ready ? Pull ! " Over 

 went the trap, and — " whip ! " — the finch darted in amongst the cabbage 

 stumps. Tony fired, of course, and cut up a cabbage or two, but 

 no feathers. The next was the same, and the next and next. He only 

 killed three out of his dozen, and one of those was disputed as not on 

 the wing. It was an awful sell, and a good many dropped their money 

 to Mr. Wideawake and his friends. I didn't — I collared. 



" What are you going to do on Friday ? " asked my old friend Julius 

 Tite, one day. 



" Was thinking of trying the marshes for a snipe or two. I hare heard 

 that there are some about." 



" Why not drive with me over to Trotstead ? They are going to shoot 

 rabbits — capital fun. We'll get a hundred or two, and a score or so of 

 hares. Pheasants now are tabooed, but we may get pigeons and a cock 

 or two." 



I was very keen then, as it is a good many years ago, and I agreed 

 at once to join my friend, who was a joUy sawbones in the place, very 

 good company, and " amoosin' " in various ways. A good doctor, good 

 sportsmen, good musician, and a famous good hand with the longbow. On 

 this latter instrument he was unequalled in his day. 



I knew we should have a good bit of fun. It was what was called the 

 keeper's day, when he asked eight or ten of the tenants and friends to shoot 

 and to a bit of roast beef after. It was a big shoot with tliree or four 

 hundred acres or more of coverts, and Mr. Topsawyer, the keeper, was 

 a very big man in his way. Our medico attended Mrs. Top. when she 

 increased the population, and so was always asked to everything that 

 Mr. T. could put in his way. 



A friend of mine lately was bargaining about a shooting. The rabbits 

 were the difficulty. The tenants made so much fuss about them that the 

 restrictions were unusually strong ; and how to manage the tenants if they 

 turned nasty he didn't know. " Ask them to shoot with you every now 

 and then," said I ; " and as for the rabbits, let them have a couple of 



