A SILVER SHOT. 83 



a covey on the wing, and saw them fall in a heap of gorse ; 

 on arriving at which the dogs stood, and, on nearing them, 

 the covey rose and gave me a double shot, when I dropped 

 two birds. Good omen ; this looked like business. " Mark, 

 Henri ! " and Henri did mark, and showed me where, in a 

 little belt of wood high up the hill. Thither we followed, 

 and on another double shot I ojot one more bird. After 

 this I went on with tolerable luck, bagging in four hours 

 five brace and three hares, and this with bad shooting, as 

 from some cause I shot very ill that morning. I remember 

 one curious incident. The dogs, three in number, all 

 stood on the outside of a strip of fern, their noses dead 

 into it, and on approaching, a hare started up and ran 

 down hill in the middle of them. I had taken my level, 

 and at the moment of pulling, a dog crossed the line of 

 sight, but I could not stop — my finger was on the trigger, 

 and bang! down rolled the hare, and the dog was un- 

 touched, though I can declare that the dog totally ob- 

 structed the view of the hare to me. Old Shot seemed as 

 much surprised as I was, and shook himself and trotted up 

 to me with a look that seemed to say, " rather too close 

 shaving that, master ; hold your hand a little next time." 

 With this bag I returned to the inn, and found my 

 friend, who was green with jealousy at seeing it ; for he 

 had, in his way, also been sporting, and had succeeded, too, 

 in bagging several brace of game, having brought them 

 down by silver shot instead of leaden ; and, as this w^as a 

 loss of cash as well as honour, his rage was great at finding 

 that, had he accompanied me, he might have saved it all. 

 But it was too late, and therefore, having paid the score, 



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