COVERT-SHOOTING. 131 



his reckless and excitable offspring, for whom he had 

 posted himself as a target at intervals all day, had 

 been almost shocked and sobered by having fired at 

 his parent's gaiter in mistake for a hare on one of 

 these sudden appearances in front of the line, and was 

 only indebted to his own want of skill for escape from 

 possible parricide. " Never mind me, I can take care 

 of myself" (the cleverest men have their delusions) ; 

 " but don't shoot each oiher ! " Then he would 

 disappear again, make one of his mysterious flank 

 marches, and calmly court death in some other 

 locality. 



Dangerous as these excitable youths were, I have 

 seen others more dangerous. Their excitability 

 was natural, the result of too active and mercurial 

 a temperament, and the danger arising out of it, 

 though grave enough, was not quite so formidable 

 as that caused by the artificially produced excitement 

 of habitual over-indulgence in stimulants. One 

 young man who had contracted this fatal habit, 

 and consequently was haunted on occasions by 



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