SPORTSMEN 61 



parties, complete with dogs, were out after 

 its game. Now, it is not lawful to pursue 

 game on Sundays; nor is it lawful to carry 

 a gun without a licence. But the sportsmen 

 do not mind that. Their guns have sawn- 

 off barrels, and take apart in less than ten 

 seconds. An inside pocket conceals both. 

 As for their dogs well, although I am a 

 dog-lover and like rough shooting, I would 

 not care to be seen in my own village with 

 such dogs. Every man I met would grin 

 and wink long, swift dogs they are, a 

 mixture of greyhound and bulldog, chiefly, 

 with various other strains, in order to make 

 them that rare breed the true lurcher. 

 They never bark. They look slyly at 

 you. Often they grin in dog-fashion, 

 suspiciously, almost a leer. 



The sportsmen shoot anything. The last 

 hare has been gone for years, even a rabbit 

 is an unusual sight, almost as rare as a par- 

 tridge. Generations ago gravel was taken 

 from this estate, leaving shallow pits that 



