LEAVES FROM A GAME BOOK. 83 



came to a beat near the outside of the property which 



was full of pheasants, numbers of which could at times 



fly back over the beaters and so pass right off the 



shooting. For this reason it was always necessary to have 



a reliable gun with the beaters, and on that day the post 



fell to Wortley, and as the cover about to be beaten 



was chiefly low gorse, bracken, and broom, the guns 



posted in front could see the beaters approaching from 



the very first start, and all of us saw that Wortley 



could easily have had some sixty shots at birds rising 



close to him, but which, if left alone, would be 



sure to come very high to the forward guns ; and 



not a shot did he fire at a single bird likely to 



do this, and like a " good man," he sacrificed the 



poor pleasure of killing a lot of easy birds, and thus 



gave to his friends in front a series of difficult and 



sporting shots. 



The remainder of this season was filled up by pleasant 



days with George Phillips at Balls Park, Sir Robert 



Harvey at Langley Park, Slough, and with Sir Charles 



Booth at Netherfield, Herts. 



a 2 



