78 BlUTAXNY AND THE CHASE. 



who wished to go out with me, we agreed to join forces 

 and be off. My friend was in raptures at the name of 

 St. Sih The "bare imagination of the feast" w^e were to 

 have there, excited him to the utmost, and he seemed to 

 devour the days which intervened. This time there was 

 to be no mistake, for, in point of fact, the game literally 

 swarmed there ; an excellent inn too ; a first-rate man to 

 show the country ; all was propitious, and the only difficulty 

 was to distribute our game. I portioned off my friends 

 handsomely however, and thought to give the rest in 

 charity or something of the sort, and the offering made, I 

 felt easy at the idea of the certain slaughter we were to 

 inflict. Powder and shot were laid in in treble quantity ; 

 a spare gun taken ; a large train of dogs ; various empty 

 cases for the game, and thus prepared we started at three 

 o'clock in the dark of an October morning, hoping to have 

 a good day's shooting after our arrival. But I calculated 

 without estimating the powers of my friend's animal. The 

 pace of about three and a-half miles an hour, including 

 stoppages, made the carriage a burdensome house, most 

 hard to bear, and not until noon did we reach St. Sil, 

 the only incident on the road being a secret dash and cap- 

 ture of a fowl by one of ni}^ dogs, which I consigned to 

 ray bag with a feeling of shame as an accomplice after the 

 fact of the robbery. As matters turned out, this was after 

 all a fortunate occurrence, and proved once more the 

 necessity, in this miserable country, to take thankfully and 

 without scrutiny all that the gods provide, knowing not 

 what may follow after. 



So in due time we reached St Sil. The good hotel 



