116 TRAVEL, ADVENTURE, AND SPORT. 



Country," and a sovereign is acceptable now and then. 

 Can you wonder at it? But that they think only of 

 the " tips " at the end of the season, and don't care 

 for the sport itself, is a very erroneous idea, the fal- 

 lacy of which, on one occasion at least, I had brought 

 before me in a most unmistakable manner. An Eng- 

 lishman of large property took a great fancy to a Ross- 

 shire gillie with whom he had spent many a long day 

 on the hill, and being in want of a head keeper, he 

 offered him the post. Here was a future of tips loom- 

 ing in the distance, and of luxuries to which all his 

 life he had been a stranger, but Murdoch wouldn't 

 have it. Next year, to my unbounded surprise, when 

 I went Xorth, there I found him located in his cot- 

 tage on the edge of the forest, a most miserable place 

 six miles from anywhere. 



" Why, Murdoch," I said, " I thoiight you were 

 comfortably settled in Warwickshire." 



"No, sir," he replied. "Mr S. was very kind to, 

 me. He took me to the South, and paid all ruy 

 travelling there and back. I was anxious to see the 

 sport, and he showed it to me the partridge-shoot- 

 ing, sir (you should have heard the tone in which 

 he mentioned this popular pastime) ; and I would 

 sooner " giving me a sort of " I-don't-care-what-you- 

 think look " " see one stag killed than all the 

 partridges in the county of Warwick." 



What could I say ? The sentiments were my own. 

 What I did sav was this : 



