98 LEAVES FKOM A GAME BOOK. 



shortly afterwards the reverend gentleman was waited 

 on by twelve Lochaber men, who demanded back the 

 sword as being a landmark which no one had any right 

 to remove, and on obtaining it, what remained of the 

 rusted basket hilt and a few inches of blade were once 

 more replaced in the loch with much solemnity. 



During this autumn came many happy days at Hall 

 Barn, Langley Park, Denham Place (the late Ben Way's), 

 and Balls Park, where we had one special day of 725 

 head, chiefly pheasants, our party being, in addition to 

 our host, and his brother, Hal Phillips, Lord Greville, 

 Brydges Willyams, Sir George Prescott, Edward Henty, 

 Captain Parker, of Ware Park (an extra good pheasant 

 shot), Frank Lawson and Colonel Blair. Formidable 

 as ten guns may sound, we were none too many, for 

 Balls Wood covers an oblong area of 200 acres, cut 

 into chessboard rides ; permitting, therefore, the guarding 

 of all the four sides of every beat. 



On the 30th of November, when shooting at Denham 

 Place> I was stationed at the end of an osier bed, which 

 was being beaten towards me. At my feet ran a fine 



