MY FIRST "TWELFTH." 121 



parson. Again a single bird got up, and again it 

 went down. This time it was a cock partridge. 



11 Well, I'm d d if I ever saw the like of that," 



swore the head keeper roundly. 



Jack and I nearly died with laughter. 



But the best was to come. Later in the day the 

 parson shot at a hare, and hit it, but obviously " very 

 far back/' In fact, it only had a hind leg broken. 

 Off went the hare, and off in pursuit went the parson. 

 I shall never forget the long black figure running 

 across the moor, every now and then, as one of us 

 said, " luffing up and firing a gun." This was too 

 much for the unsteady dogs, who joined in loud- 

 mouthed pursuit, coursing the three-legged hare all 

 over the moor. Not less loud -mouthed was the 

 keeper, but whistling and cursing was no use. Jack 

 and I lay down on the heather, almost crying with 

 laughter. At last the dogs were secured and well 

 thrashed, and the parson returned, hot and empty- 

 handed. I think he was ashamed of his performance, 

 for he muttered something about not liking to leave 

 poor animals in pain, while we tried vainly to resume 

 our gravity. 



I need hardly say our bag that day was a good 

 bit inferior to that of the preceding day. But Jack 

 and I had several more good days before I left, and 

 I should be sorry to think that we shall not have 

 some more there yet. 



