SHOOTING 91 



In open ground, and especially large turnip fields 

 where hares abound, it is often necessary to drive 

 them to the guns in order to kill them. For the 

 shooters the sport is not great, as it merely consists 

 in being concealed behind a hedge and keeping very 

 still till the hares come quietly up. But the keepe^ 

 who is in charge of the proceedings has many matters 

 to think of. He must outflank the hares so as to cut 

 them off from covert. He must have his beaters 

 sufficiently near together to prevent their walking over 

 and past hares in their seats, and he must, above all, 

 avoid going too fast, or making very much noise, or 

 else the hares will inevitably sit very close and steal 

 away behind his men. Chief essential of all, he must 

 make his drives down wind, or the hares, travelling 

 quietly forward, will both scent and hear the concealed 

 sportsmen, just as deer would, and will break to right 

 or left in the most provoking way, just out of shot of 

 the guns, and too far off to be turned by the fiankmg 

 beaters. 



And here let me put in a word, addressed chiefly 

 to the youthful sportsman, never to fire a long 

 shot at a hare going straight away from him. It is 

 but useless cruelty. I will suppose, in these days of 

 weapons of precision and careful education, that all 

 our young friends have learned to 'hold pretty 



