DRIVING 261 



about to make full use of these natural 

 advantages ; for when the birds are ' well 

 up,' not only do they give the prettiest 

 of shooting, but the general execution is 

 much improved, the guns then being able 

 to take the birds when nearest to them, 

 without having to consider the safety of 

 their neighbours. 



After planning out the ten or twelve 

 drives for the day, having in view a calm 

 day or a continuance of the prevailing 

 wind, you have then to face the possibility 

 of one from the opposite direction. To 

 meet this contingency some alternative 

 plan of campaign is necessary, for the 

 importance of wind as a factor in the 

 day's proceedings cannot well be over- 

 estimated, and to reckon without it is 

 indeed flying in the face of providence. 

 The difficulty is best overcome by having 

 two trysts for the morning, one for 

 normal conditions and the other to fall 

 back on if the wind shifts to another 

 quarter in the interim. The prearranged 

 drives can then still be made use of, only 



