72 inco:nvenience of a shadow. 



(double shots we always tossed up for) ; and here 

 the murder came out. The shadows had invari- 

 ably fired at his birds, and had as invariably 

 tossed up with him for them, and our friend losing 

 all his tosses, the corresponding diminution of 

 his bag was the consequence. What could he 

 do ? shadows were plentiful. Every person who 

 was short-sighted, or had burst some never- 

 failing water-proof boots, or to whom any 

 the slightest accident had occurred, constituting 

 an excuse for not working hard through the 

 cover, was always sure to be found as a shadow. 

 This was past all bearing. That the shadows 

 should share the honour and the spoil, and count 

 in their bags birds which they had only fired at, 

 whilst the body had shot them, was enough to 

 disturb the equanimity of any one's temper. 

 Some means must be devised, some contrivance 

 thought of, to get rid of these pertinacious sha- 

 dows. How heartily did he wish that, like Peter 

 Schlimil, he could have had a chance of selling, 

 or even giving them away gratis ! At last a com- 

 promise was proposed and accepted. The sha- 

 dows agreed to keep twenty yards distant from 

 the body, a fair arrangement for all parties. In 



