38 CONVERSATIONAL HINTS 



You, naturally enough, reply that you have not 

 the honour of being acquainted with these severe 

 but enthusiastic gentlemen. Nobody does know 

 them. They don't exist. But it is very useful to 

 affect a sort of second-hand knowledge of these 

 Gorgons of the weed, as thus : 



A Party of Guns is walking to the first beat of the 

 day. Time, say about 10.20 A.M. 



Young Sportsman (who has a pipe in his mouth, 

 to Second Sportsman, similarly adorned). I always 

 think the after-breakfast smoke is about the best 

 of the day. Somehow, tobacco tastes sweeter then 

 than at any other time of the day. 



Second Sp. (puffing vigorously). Yes, it's first- 

 class ; but I hold with smoke at most times of the 

 day, after breakfast, after lunch, after dinner, and 

 in between. 



Young Sp. Well, I don't know. If I try to 

 smoke when I'm actually shooting, I generally find 

 I've got my pipe in the gun side of my mouth. I 

 heard of a man the other day who knocked out 

 three of his best teeth through bringing up his 

 gun sharp, and forgetting he'd got a pipe in his 

 mouth. Poor beggar ! he was very plucky about 



