BRAVA. 319 



foot, and the united discharge of several guns, in much closer 

 proximity to me than I admired, that it had been seen, and 

 the howling of one of the dogs, that something had been 

 hit, which was indeed the case, the bulldog-headed pointer 

 having received some shots in his jowl; but no appearance 

 of any game could I see. I was told I must " look low," and 

 keep my eyes fixed on every opening and comparatively thin 

 part of the scrub, as the guinea-fowl never rose unless they 

 were very hard pressed. The under cover, as we descended, 

 or rather scrambled down the mountain, became much thin- 

 ner, and by the movements of the dogs we could perceive 

 that the birds were running before us. The great object of 

 the sportsmen was how to head them, or, at all events, come 

 up with them, in which attempt some most ludicrous and 

 rather dangerous adventures ensued. A gallant lieutenant 

 of her Majesty Donna Maria, who had been pushing forward 

 at a great pace on the comparatively open ground, with 

 hopes of being in time for the "bouquet," when the game 

 emerged from the cover, slipped, and fell backwards on the 

 shifting soil. The last glimpse I caught of him, as he 

 vanished from my sight round a corner of the hill, was 

 sliding in an impetuous fundamental course, his gun, which 

 he still held upright, and always cocked, having exploded 

 between his legs. I very much feared that he would be 

 dashed down some precipice, but he was afterwards disco- 

 vered brought up by, and ensconced amidst some bushes, 

 and more frightened than hurt. In the mean time, my com- 

 panions, who had either better eyes, or, at all events, were 

 more accustomed to this kind of shooting than myself, dis- 

 charged their guns frequently at some objects amongst the 

 creepers, which I presume were guinea-fowl, an hypothesis 

 I was confirmed in by the colley dog making his appearance, 

 after a long absence, his mouth covered with the feathers of 

 one of those birds, the carcass of which he had probably 



