Chapter IX. 



SHOOTING AND FISHING. 



T HAVE always classed the Chase as the 

 chief of our English field sports, but when 

 our days of hard riding are over there are 

 others which still appeal strongly to us. 

 Throughout my long life I have been fond of 

 a gun, and in this direction also many days of 

 good sport have I enjoyed. 



Here again one cannot help remarking 

 upon the great change that has taken place 

 since I was a boy. Take, for instance, the 

 modern hammerless, breech- loading gun, 

 ejector and everything up-to-date, and 

 compare it with the old muzzle-loader of my 

 early days ! But do not run away with the 

 idea that just because the style of the gun has 

 altered, the man behind it has improved 

 beyond us likewise. No such thing ! We 



