232 THE GROUSE 



homewards way. He had been utterly 

 at sea in every drive ; frequently it seemed 

 impossible to get the gun off at all ; he 

 was invariably taken in two minds, and 

 ended by hastily shooting at the most 

 difficult of angles ; the birds going 

 with the wind were gone before the gun 

 could cover them ; those coming up-wind 

 hung in front of the butt and couldn't be 

 hit. It was a miserable fiasco. 



I fancy such days must come to most 

 ordinary mortals in the beginning ; yet 

 they will be surprised to find how quickly 

 they will improve with a little practice. 



