SEAFOWL SHOOTING SKETCHES. 69 



Taking- my stand, and placing- a few cartridges ready, I 

 charged the gun ; and, leaning the barrels slightly on the turf 

 in front, waited in great anxiety. What a while it seemed before 

 anything occurred ; then a couple of shots from my neighbour 

 on the right, and a small pack of grouse flew across my front. 

 I singled out a brace of the leading birds, and floored them right 

 and left. A few more birds passed, out of shot ; the beaters 

 appeared in sight, waving their sticks ; and then the drive was 

 over. 



The next drive I did not fire a shot. It began to rain, and we 

 were much afraid of the fog rising ; but, fortunately, it kept off. 

 We had five drives in all, but I only fired in two of them. I had 

 a couple of misses, and my last bird was killed just as the beaters 

 hove in sight. In the last drive I saw my neighbour, Mr. H. 

 kill a brace of birds at one shot. They had passed between us, 

 when he swung round and dropped them. Poor fellow, it was 

 his last shot, as in a few weeks after he passed over to the great 

 majority. 



And now two more of the party have gone to their rest. 



During the day we had a good luncheon in the pavilion on 

 the moor, the men getting their bread and cheese and beer in 

 another hut. Our day's sport was but a poor one, as we only got 

 8 brace of birds, towards which Robert contributed a brace for 

 a couple of shots. At the finish two of us had a long hunt after 

 an owl, which one of the keepers had seen a few days pre- 

 viously, but we never got a sight of it. We had a good dinner 

 at the house, and afterwards, by the aid of cigars and whisky, 

 passed an agreeable hour or two. One of the company, a doctor, 

 gave us " The Lass of Richmond Hill," accompanying himself 

 on the piano, in good style. Soon the horses were put to, the 

 lamps lit, and we were on our way home, where we arrived before 

 nine o'clock. 



The next day I dined with my friend, and we passed the time 

 very pleasantly with smoking and conversing on old times ; 

 then, taking leave of my friend and his amiable partner, I came 

 away highly pleased with my outing. 



