230 DAYS STOLEN FOR SPORT 



We took some trouble to make the landlord under- 

 stand that our captures were worthy of his cook's 

 attention, but he shifted all responsibility by taking 

 me to the kitchen and introducing me to her in such 

 a way as made my task most difhcult. 'Annie/ said 

 he, 'the gentleman has come to tell you how to cook 

 fish/ This was little likely to help me, but, as often 

 happens when hardest driven, your good fairy whispers 

 you the turn to take. Thus inspired, I walked boldly 

 up to Annie with the fish, and smiled against her 

 frown for a moment, and then held out my hand. The 

 frown slowly vanished, and I was soon telling her, 

 among other things, how we cook jack in England. 

 I remember, to this day, how loud the visitors were 

 in praise of the fish which Annie cooked as she would 

 have done a joint of veal. 



It appeared, for a time, that our guns and cartridges 

 would prove superfluous luggage, for the landlord, 

 unmindful of his promise to give us shooting, had 

 let his grouse moor to a party of lawyers and barristers 

 from Dublin, who, on account of the wet and stormy 

 v/eather that had suited the fishing well, had obtained 

 indifferent sport, and, to make their prospect of getting 

 the head of game at first expected still less bright, two 

 of their party had been called home for a time. The 

 host's information regarding the shooting had put 

 m.e out more than the temporary loss of my bed. 



A gun helps me on the longest tramp, and, if my 

 early training did anything for me, I ought to be 

 able to so deport myself with it as to give no fear 

 to the most nervous comrade. My good dad took 

 never-tiring pains to teach me this before he showed 

 me how to take a coming or a going bird, a rising or 

 a falling one. 



I was thinking unkindly of the landlord, no doubt 

 with a clouded face, when the shooters were starting 

 on that morning. Now, whether my looks betrayed 

 my thoughts, I cannot say, but one of the party came 



