128 SPORTING IN BOTH HEMISPHERES. 



seventh pigeon, and his adversary killed his with marvellous 

 dexterity. 



" The match now drew near to its termination, and the 

 two rivals rested for a minute. You might have heard a pin 

 fall on the grass. At the moment they took up their arms 

 again, and the cage of the last bird was opened, Simon, 

 his leg thrown well forward, brought his gun to the shoulder 

 with his usual sangfroid, and followed with his eye the un- 

 certain flight of the pigeon, which, from an oblique, had 

 taken a vertical direction. He fired, and after a second of 

 incertitude, the bird turned over and over in the air, until 

 it fell at the feet of the marksman. 



" I observed that the knees of the poor garde-chasse trembled 

 beneath him; his countenance was pale, and all his frame 

 betokened extreme agitation. He also followed the flight 

 of the pigeon with a keen glance, and for a long time; at 

 length he fired, but missed. Cries and hurrahs resounded on 

 all sides, but chiefly from the peasantry of the village of 

 Noisy, who were delighted at the success of one of their own 

 inhabitants over a stranger. 



" The king commanded the victor to approach, compli- 

 mented him on his skill, and presented him with his own 

 hands the prize he had obtained, after which he super- 

 intended the distribution of the game, and the departure 

 took place immediately afterwards. 



"As we were leaving the Chataigneraie deBignon, the young 

 men of the village of Noisy placed Simon on a hurdle, and 

 carried him on their shoulders in triumph into the commune. 

 I could not help feeling much interest in the joy that poor 

 Simon seemed to feel, and the combination of prosperous cir- 

 cumstances that had befallen him; still this pleasure was 

 mingled with melancholy, and consisted more of a sentiment 

 of compassion than one of satisfaction. 



" This was the closing day of the chasse at Marly. We had 



