236 The Amateur Poacher 



suddenly stopped and lifted himself up. In that 

 moment I could have shot him, being so near, 

 without putting the gun to the shoulder, by the sense 

 of direction in the hands ; the next he dived into a 

 burrow. Looking round the bush, I now saw the 

 pheasant in the hedge that crossed at right angles in 

 front ; this was fortunate, because through that hedge 

 there was another meadow. It was full of nut-tree 

 bushes, very tall and thick at the top, but lower 

 down thin, as is usually the case when poles grow 

 high. To fill the space a fence had been made of 

 stakes and bushes woven between them, and on this 

 the pheasant stood. 



It was too far for a safe shot ; in a minute he 

 went down into the meadow on the other side. I 

 then crept on hands and knees towards the nut- 

 bushes : as I got nearer there was a slight rustle and 

 a low hiss in the grass, and I had to pause while a 

 snake went by hastening for the ditch. A few 

 moments afterwards, being close to the hedge, I 

 rose partly up, and looked carefully over the fence 

 between the hazel wands. There was the pheasant 

 not fifteen yards away, his back somewhat towards 

 me, and quietly questing about. 



In lifting the gun I had to push aside a bough 

 the empty hoods from which a bunch of brown nuts 



