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CHAPTER XXV. 



WHAT TO DO IN CASE OF TROUBLE WITH THE NATIVES. 



By Geo. Jamieson, C.M.G., F.S.S. 

 Late H. M. 's Consul-General in China. 



k S accidents will happen in the best regulated families so misadventure will sometimes 

 *^ befall the most careful sportsman, and a few hints as to what is the best thing for him 

 to do in case of difficulty may not be out of place here. It is surprising, when one considers 

 the great number of men that go up country every year and the populousness of many 

 places where game is looked for, that one hears of so few accidents; and the fact speaks 

 volumes for the general care with which sportsmen in China handle their guns. At the 

 same time it cannot be too strongly impressed on all, and particularly on young beginners, 

 that the utmost caution is always necessary, especially in shooting near villages or with 

 people working in the fields round about. 



It ought to be an absolute rule with everyone never to fire in the line of a cottage or in 

 the direction of a garden, hedge or thicket whether anyone is visible or not, unless the 

 distance were such as to preclude the possibility of any damage. Even on the hillsides it is 

 advisable to keep a sharp look-out for wood-and grass-cutters whose occupation causes 

 them to assume a crouching attitude, and who are thus not very easily observed. They are 

 sometimes apt to pop their heads up at a critical moment, much to the embarrassment 

 of the shooter. 



Fortunately birds usually rise sufficiently high to carry the shot clear of anyone in the 

 line of fire (and for this purpose an angle of 15° is the least that may be deemed safe), but if 

 they do not, it is far wiser to let the bird go altogether than to run the least risk. The true 

 sportsman goes for sport and for enjoyment and not to kill everything by hook or by crook. 

 Besides, any injury, even the slightest, to one of the natives is sure to raise a fracas, and 

 involve the loss of several hours, perhaps the entire day's shooting, not to mention the 

 annoyance of the thing and the possibility of more serious trouble. So that even from a 

 selfish point of view it is the worst policy to venture on risky shots. 



As a rule the Chinese villagers in the Yangtze valley are quiet and peaceful enough 

 and, if not actively friendly, they never interfere with sport. But when roused they can be 

 exceedingly disagreeable. Probably in no case would a foreigner be in serious danger of 

 bodily harm, but in the event of a collision there is always a possibility of some rough 

 treatment, and of the loss of one's personal property which it would be a tedious and 

 difficult matter to recover. The foreign sportsman may, however, be assured that if he and 

 his followers give no cause of offence, neither he nor they will ever be interfered with* 

 With reasonable care one may count on shooting season after season without once meeting 

 an angry look. 



