52 The Confessions of a Poacher. 



stone walls. As dusk deepens and draws 

 to dark, they run and call less, and soon all is 

 still. The closely-packed covey is easy to 

 detect against the yellow stubble, and resting 

 the gun on the wall, a charge of heavy shot 

 fired into their midst usually picks off the lot. 

 If in five minutes the shot brings up the keeper 

 it matters little, as then you are far over the 

 land. 



Partridges feed in the early morning as 

 soon as day breaks, in fact. They resort to one 

 spot, and are constant in their coming, es- 

 pecially if encouraged. This fact I well knew, 

 and laid my plans accordingly. By the aid of the 

 moon a train of grain was laid straight as a 

 hazel wand. Upon these occasions I never went 

 abroad without an old duck-gun, the barrels of 

 which had been filed down. This enabled me 

 to carry the gun-stock in one pocket, the 

 barrels in the other. The shortness of the 

 latter in nowise told against the shooting, as 

 the gun was only required to use at short 

 distances. The weapon was old, thick at 

 the muzzle, and into it I crammed a heavy 



