120 ACCESSIBLE FIELD SPORTS. 



balance of the persecuted family was followed. Instead 

 of their making for the timber, or the brush which 

 grew upon its edge, they had flown out, perhaps a 

 couple of hundred yards farther, into the prairie, 

 where there was nothing to cause a deviation in their 

 flight, or prevent our obtaining clear and uninter- 

 rupted aim. 



The splendid chance thus presented of filling our 

 game bags was greedily accepted and acted upon. Don 

 found the beauties in a few minutes, and Sancho 

 stealthily approached his brother with cautious step, 

 frequently stopping and backing with praiseworthy 

 zeal. The partridge* on this occasion were more 

 difficult to force on the wing, and nearly all got up 

 singly. One circumstance, however, I noted, that 

 although Gr. and self did clean work, our friend T. 

 failed on both occasions. But undoubtedly this was 

 the result of accident, as he informed us that one 

 barrel hung fire and the other exploded just at the 

 moment that the bird had made a sudden alteration in 

 its flight. I could not help commiserating with him 

 at these untoward circumstances, and felt almost irate 

 with Gr. (who was an old friend and former shooting 

 chum of T.'s), for heartlessly laughing at his friend's 



* This "bird has the extraordinary power of withholding its scent, 

 which it frequently does for ten or fifteen minutes after lighting. 



