140 SHOOTING THE PARTRIDGE 



one at which a first-rate man would kill a good 

 many birds in the course of a good day's driving, 

 while though it would be rather a close shot to 

 the line for D., yet, if the bird were fairly high he 

 would be justified in taking it ; but he would in that 

 case be at exactly the right distance and elevation to 

 blind the people at ;//. The point that it gives the guns 

 two lines of danger to bear in mind, instead of one, is 

 also an important one, and considering the number 

 of accidents that have taken place through people 

 forgetting one line, it is not fair or right to add to the 

 risk by making a second. Neither are they really safe 

 from A. himself, if he is to fire, as he certainly should, 

 at birds coming straight to him over the fence and 

 over their heads. There is always danger of dropping, 

 or, to speak more correctly, diverging shot below the 

 point aimed at. I had a very practical experience of 

 this, which is worth quoting. At the Gun Club we 

 used to allow 'byes,' that is, trial birds, before the 

 competition began. As we were only allowed one 

 each, we used to back each other up, so that, if the 

 shooter whose bye it was missed it altogether, we got 

 a shot at it to try and wipe his eye after he had done 

 with it. 1 I backed up somebody who missed his 



1 This ' hacking up ' has long since been forbidden both at 

 the Gun Club and Ilurlingham. 



