WILD-FOWL SIIOOTIXG IX SPAIX. 13 



The golden plovers which I shot on the coast were 

 birds of passage. The only circumstance of a distress- 

 ing nature which occurred during this winter was the 

 assassination of an officer of the 81st Regiment by a 

 marker of a billiard table of Alicant, The marker had 

 made some mistake in the reckoning, upon which this 

 officer gave him a gentle tap with his cue. The 

 Spaniard said nothing, but Avhen the officers were 

 leaving and going down stairs, the villain took up a 

 large knife used for cutting ice, and stabbed him near 

 the left shoulder, and the poor fellow instantly expired. 

 I was appointed president of the court of inquiry in this 

 affair, and the surgeon on examining the body found 

 the knife had penetrated an inch into his heart. He 

 was a fine tall young man, lieutenant of grenadiers. 

 The assassin escaped by a back door ; and although every 

 exertion was made to apprehend him, he contrived to 

 escape to the French outposts. This proves the re- 

 vengeful disposition of the Spaniard. 



The shooting in the part of France where I resided 

 was very indifferent. The Duke Decazes, Prime Minis- 

 ter to Louis XYIII., had a fine chateau about fifteen 

 miles from the town of Libourne, with a large estate 

 around it, on excellent soil for the breeding of game. The 

 Duke was absent, but I was invited by his father to go 

 and shoot there, and to meet a party of several French 

 gentlemen. It was in the early part of October, and it 

 was arranged that we were to start at seven o'clock the 

 next morning, with two or three couple of hounds and 

 our guns to shoot some hares. After beating about for 

 a considerable time, we at last found one. Every one 

 of the party ran in various directions to get a shot at 

 poor puss ; but she was so dexterous in her movements 



