THE SPORTSMAN IN FRANCE. 135 



disappointment— for I had made a match 

 to shoot with my favourite double from 

 Dover-street, against a celebrated Purdey 

 in the possession of Mr. Martin Hawke. 

 Of course the match did not comeoff; 

 and the failure cost me a dinner at the 

 Hotel Royal at Dieppe. 



It was subsequently forwarded to me 

 in Paris, and was the gun I used during 

 our first crusade against the boars in the 

 neighbourhood of Guimgamp. But to 

 return to our match. 



At the stated hour we were on the 

 ground with our gun-cases in the Bois de 

 Boulogne, and had not waited long be- 

 fore our antagonists made their appear- 

 ance, accompanied by Monsieur Lepage, 

 the renowned maker of crack guns in the 

 French metropolis. 



As soon as our opponents had extri- 

 cated themselves from the crazy fiacre 

 which had brought them to the scene of 



