CHAPTER XLIII. 



THE CRIPPLE CHASE, 



* * " Sportsmen, be merciful in death, 

 Nor ever let your prey breathe out its life 

 In ling'ring agonies." 



Fowling^ a Poem, Book i. 



THE cripple-chase consists in pursuing- winged and wounded wild- 

 fowl, which, though unable to fly, contrive to elude their pursuers a 

 long time, by diving, dodging, and swimming. It would appear a 

 wanton pursuit to chase disabled birds for the object of sport ; but, as 

 one-third at least of those which are stopped by a discharge from the 

 punt-gun are only wounded, it becomes a matter of necessity, if 

 the wild-fowler wishes to secure them, that he should pursue them 

 by the best means that he can : a web-footed water-fowl, when 

 only slightly wounded, is not so easily captured as many would 

 suppose. 



Directly the cripples find themselves pursued, they make for the 

 deepest water at hand ; and then, as an invariable rule, work their 

 course to windward, swimming off as fast as they can j thus, by in- 

 cessant diving and dodging, struggling to the last, they frequently 

 evade their pursuers some fifteen or twenty minutes; and only 

 resign themselves to fate when sheer exhaustion compels them. 

 The cripple wild-duck shows great spirit and tenacity : much more 

 so than the mallard, which may be captured with far less difficulty. 



The method of pursuing a cripple wild-fowl, is by rowing after it 

 as fast as possible, following it up as closely as can be, striking it 

 across the neck with the edge of one of the oar blades, and thus, by 

 blows and activity, tiring it out, so that it has no longer strength to 



