LEAVES FEOM A GAME BOOK. 237 



from using his guns, and therefore to four guns only 

 this bag may be regarded as an extra good one. 



On the 14th December I returned to MaeswUch with 

 Villiers Bagot, for Lawson, being still unable to handle a 

 gun, had very kindly put the Castle, servants, keepers, 

 horses, carriages, cellar, and everything else at our 

 disposal. During the four days of our stay we had 

 the help of the Rector of Glasbury, the Rev. H. G. 

 Griffiths, and a friend of his, when we four bagged 386 

 head, of which 321 were pheasants, mostly cocks. 



By way of extra excitement, we had on the morning 

 of the 17th a somewhat sharp earthquake shock, which 

 later on we read in the newspapers had been felt over 

 a very wide area. I happened to be restless that 

 night, and when the shock came, at about 4.30 in 

 the morning, I was lying reading by candle-light. 

 Without any warning, the silence of a perfectly still 

 night was suddenly broken by a tremendous crash, 

 just as if a thousand coalies had emptied, at the 

 word of command, a thousand sacks of coals on the 

 flat leaden roof of the Castle beneath which my bed- 



