Colonel ipctcr tmwfeer 135 



In the meantime our feu de joie was going on most 

 rapidly. At last up came the parson, almost choked 

 with rage. The two first persons he warned off were 

 Pearson and myself; having been served with notices 

 we kept him in tow, while the others rallied his covers, 

 and serenaded him with an incessant bombardment 

 in every direction. The confused rector did not know 

 which way to run. The scene of confusion was ridiculous 

 beyond anything, and the invasion of an army could 

 scarcely exceed the noise. Not a word could be heard 

 for the cries of ' Mark ! ' < Dead ! ' and ' Well done ! ' 

 interspersed every moment with bang bang, and the 

 yelping of barrack curs. The parson at last mustered 

 his whole establishment to act as patriots against the 

 marauders, footboys running one way, ploughmen 

 mounted on cart-horses galloping the other, and every 

 one from the village that could be mustered was 

 collected to repel the mighty shock. At last we re- 

 treated, and about half-past four those who had escaped 

 being entered in his doomsday book renewed the attack. 

 The parson having eased himself by a vomit, began to 

 speak more coherently, and addressed himself to those 

 who, being liable to an action of trespass, were obliged 

 to stand in the footpath, and take the birds as they 

 flew over ; at last so many were caught that the battle 

 ceased. Though a large number of pheasants were 

 destroyed, the chase did not end in such aggregate 

 slaughter as we expected, and not more than one- 

 third of those brought down were bagged, in consequence 

 of our being afraid to turn off our best dogs ; we brought 

 away some of the parson's traps, one of which was a 



