108 SHOOTING : 



Up with your dog, ' hie in!' you quickly cry, 

 And the fine covey instant meets your eye 

 You fire and kill ; with second barrel miss, 

 If your first field-day Oh ! what happiness ! 

 On such occasion, I shall ne'er forget 

 The pleasing feelings that my heart beset, 

 And thought 'twould easy be a bag to fill, 

 As I already seem'd so well to kill. 

 And here, as bound, confession let me make, 

 The next five shots corrected the mistake ! 

 So 'fore the day was done, I found out this, 

 That to shoot well requires some smart practice 

 Let not this plain avowal Youngsters daunt ; 

 Nor, that e'en now no magic aim I vaunt, 

 Tho' hundred's weight of lead I've shot away. 

 I should be very disinclin'd to say 

 On any morn, I'll miss no shot to-day. 

 When my noviciate 'gan, 'tis fair to state, 

 My dogs wer'n't what they ought to be, first-rate ! 



