The Rabbit Battue 237 



lark him over from his lodge " about two miles distant, over as 

 pretty a line of country as one could choose even for a Grand 

 Aristocratic he slides out of his saddle, and giving the colt to one of 

 the beaters to lead back to the keeper's lodge, joins the party ; and 

 we are soon at the edge of the wood, where a wiry young under- 

 keeper is waiting for us at the gate with about six couple of spaniels. 



As it is now nine o'clock, we lose no more time, and Mr. Johnson 

 having marshalled his forces, assigns each man his place, and gives 

 us the following brief instructions : " Now mind and keep well in 

 line, gentlemen. No hares ! Stop at every shot, and, above all 

 things, take care of. the dogs." A very necessary precaution, by 

 the way, seeing that the undergrowth is thick, the dogs close 

 hunters, and the rabbits lie like stones. We muster about sixteen 

 guns, only seven of which, however, are to be depended on. Of 

 course, Mr. Johnson takes the post of honour the middle place. 

 The best men are to his right and left 5 and as for the top-boots, 

 who are anxiously asking "Where about in the line they shall be," 

 he merely remarks, that " He does not care a pin, so long as they 

 are at least two gun-shots from him." The beaters are also in the 

 line, for in this fun there was no sneaking down to the bottom of the 

 wood for a favourite stand j every man had as good a chance as his 

 neighbour, for we used to walk in a line right through the forest, 

 kick the rabbits up, with the help of the dogs, and knock them over 

 as best we could. No covert in England could have been so well 

 adapted for this sport. The old oaks stood wide apart j and the 

 undergrowth, which was tolerably open, was formed of hazel bushes 

 and long dead grass. 



We had not been five minutes in line before the fun begins. 

 Bang, bang ! "Dead, Flora!" then a pause; then bang again on 

 both sides, amidst shouts of "Look to!" "Well killed!" "Well 

 missed you !" as the case may be. The heaviest shooting is of 

 course in the middle of the line, for the spaniels never hunt far 

 from the head keeper, and we, who are pretty near him, get some 

 capital sport. I generally used to have to account for fifty or sixty 

 caps at the end of the day : and, without boasting, I well recollect 



