208 SPORTING IN BOTH HEMISPHERES. 



from any fear of the wild animals in question as from the 

 random shots of your friends when the game is on foot. 

 Indeed, on one of these occasions at which I was present, 

 and had the good fortune to kill a marcassin, or young wild- 

 boar, two of the chasseurs were wounded, but not danger- 

 ously, by their companions. That tender little boar has left 

 a gastronomical souvenir on my memory never to be effaced. 

 The haunch, including the fillet, was marine in Burgundy, 

 with spices and slices of echalotte, for about a fortnight ; it 

 was then larded and carefully roasted, enveloped in oiled 

 paper. The sauce was a rich stock, or gravy, made from 

 twelve woodcocks. 



I was enabled to preface this rather unique plat by a pate 

 of red mullets, becasses de mer, which were here very fine 

 and easy to procure, and a tolerable modicum of excellent 

 Bordeaux brought about the unqualified approval of my 

 few guests, of the taste of Monsieur 1' Anglais. 



I found some pleasant and agreeable society, faute d'aris- 

 tocracie, amongst the government employes, who were all 

 sportsmen, in their own sense of the word ; that is to say, 

 carried a gun, and banged away at everything they saw, 

 from a tomtit to a woodcock, to the great risk and danger 

 of their shooting companions, although with considerable 

 impunity to the birds, and very nearly fell a victim to iny 

 friendship for one of these gentlemen. 



I was one day on a shooting expedition near the town of 

 Faoult, in company with the receveur des contributions indi- 

 rects. We had marked down a large covey of red birds, and 

 were cautiously creeping towards the spot where they had 

 alighted. It was necessary to climb over a loose stone wall, 

 which I proceeded to do, closely followed by my friend, and car- 

 rying my gun by the barrels, a short distance above the locks. 

 Suddenly I was startled by an explosion that almost stunned 

 me, and discovered that I was holding nothing but the barrels 



