THE LIFE OF A SPORTSMAN 



back liim, indeed, to kill magpies against any keeper in 

 England.' 



' How does he go to work :* ' inquired Frank Raby. 



' Why, sir,' perhaps you will smile when I tell you,' 

 answered the keeper ; ' he gets a live magpie and a cat, and 

 has them staked down near a wood, within a certain distance 

 of each other, but not quite within reach, when the cries 

 of the bird, at fear of the cat, are so loud and unnatural 

 as to bring every magpie in the wood to the spot. He is 

 sure to get a double shot ; and such is the infatuation of these 

 birds, by the scene that is going on, that they return to the 

 spot, and thus afford him a second, and sometimes a third 

 chance.' 



' By the way, Perren,' said our hero, ' I heard a good story 

 of a magpie the other day in London — or, I had rather said, 

 the mention of the bird was very happily applied. A friend of 

 the Prince of Wales, who says many good things, and is to a 

 certain extent privileged to say them in the royal presence, 

 was complimenting his Royal Highness on the excellence of 

 his cook, adding that he supposed " there was only one pie 

 which baffled his skill." " What pie is that ? " inquired the 

 Prince. " Why, sir," replied the wag, " he cannot make a 

 magpie." ' 



' And how are you oft' for foxes ? " continued Frank Raby. 

 ' Although I do not hunt in this country, and perhaps never 

 shall do so, I am not on that account the less anxious that a 

 good head of foxes should be found in it, and in our own covers 

 especially.' 



' We were not deficient last season, sir,' replied the keeper ; 

 ' and they have whipped off from two heavy vixens within the 

 last fortnight ; there is also a litter of cubs already in the Big 

 Wood ; but a bad misfortune happened to Jack, a few weeks 

 back. He laid a trap overnight for a polecat, and found a fox 

 in it in the morning, and, what was worst of all, a heavy vixen, 

 almost ready to lay up her cubs.' 



' And what then ? ' exclaimed our young sportsman hastily ; 

 ' was she dead ? " 



' She was not dead, sir,' replied the keeper, ' but her leg 

 was so dreadfully mangled that I cut off the injured part and let 

 lier go. She was, however, found dead, a few days afterwards, 

 by one of our woodmen, in the Birch Coppice. Jack imme- 



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