94 GAMEKEEPERS AND GILLIES 



Earl of Stair's fine moors on the Water of Luce. I shall 

 be accused of prejudice, no doubt, if I express regret that 

 such days as I have spent with Tom Hogg and his fine 

 pointers may never be had again if I state my con- 

 viction that no luncheon, however elaborate, can ever be 

 so savoury as the pocketful of provender which each man 

 bundled up for himself at breakfast. For that was the 

 rule of old in that most liberal establishment. No 

 general luncheon was provided; paper and string were 

 laid on the side table. Experienced guests had learnt 

 the prudence of making their provision before eating a 

 hearty breakfast; postprandial appetite being an unsafe 

 test of what might prove to be their requirements after 

 noon. 



It was under Tom Hogg's auspices that I first ex- 

 perienced the excitement of grouse-driving. It was a 

 novelty in Scotland in those days : no regular butts were 

 provided for the shooters, who concealed themselves as 

 best they might in peat hags, behind a convenient stone 

 dyke, or by simply crouching in the heather. In such 

 circumstances not only was the practice rather ineffective 

 and uncertain, but there was considerable risk of accident 

 owing to the imperfect ' dressing ' of the line of guns, their 

 concealment from each other, and because we had not 

 learnt the obligation to take birds only coming or going, 

 and not to follow them round. The concern of a certain 

 moment is still present to me, when, having fired at some 

 birds crossing to the left, I heard a loud shout from an 

 invisible neighbour ' Hi, hi, there ! Take care what 

 you 're doing. You Ve shot me ! ' Concern deepened into 

 horror when, at the end of the drive, I found the said 

 neighbour bleeding profusely, a white silk neckerchief 



