ON GROUSE-DRIVING 171 



energetically waved pocket handkerchief, 

 produces the desired result, he moves 

 forward to a more commanding position, 

 whence by a further exhibition of mis- 

 timed energy he succeeds in turning a 

 big lot of birds, who were coming nicely 

 to the guns on his flank, right across the 

 front of the drive and out at the far side. 



The drives get worse instead of better 

 as the day goes on, till, by evening, the 

 birds seem to have disappeared off the 

 face of the earth altogether. The guns 

 who know how things should be done 

 alternate between periods of gloomy 

 boredom, in butts where they have a 

 shrewd notion that no birds will come, 

 and from which they feel they couldn't 

 shoot them even if they did, and moments 

 of intense irritation, as some of the more 

 glaring errors are forced on their attention. 



They are conscious throughout the 

 day of a feeling of good things being 

 wasted, of taking part in a wrong and 

 inartistic performance, and it will take 

 some of their host's driest champagne, 



