CH. vin.] MAJOR B D'S BRIGADE. 147 



out interfering with that of his companions. The Major's raising 

 his arm was the signal for all to drop. 



252. If one of the dogs was pointing, the Major would go up 

 perhaps to the dog furthest off, and make him approach the dog 

 that was standing ; and in October (when grouse run much) he 

 has thus brought all six dogs in a line, one following the other, 

 and made each in succession take the lead, and " foot " the birds for 

 a short distance. The same dogs, on the same day, at a given 

 signal, would run riot ; scamper over the moor ; chase hares, sheep, 

 or anything they came across ; and at the well-known signal again 

 would drop, and, as if by magic, resume their perfect obedience. 



253. Major B d was quite one of the old school ; used flint 



and steel ; and looked with ineffable contempt at the detonators of 

 the youngsters. He was not remarkable for being a good shot, 

 capital sportsman as he undoubtedly was in the highest sense of the 

 word, showing the truth of what was said in the fifth paragraph, 

 that excellence in shooting, though of course advantageous, is not a 

 necessary qualification in a breaker. 



254. If a professional breaker could snow you a 

 brigade of dogs well trained to quarter their ground 

 systematically, and should ask from fifty to sixty 

 guineas* a brace for them, you ought not to be sur- 

 prised. What an extent of country they could sweep 

 over in an hour and not leave a bird behind ! And 

 consider what time and labour must have been spent 

 in inculcating so noble a range. He would have been 

 far better paid, if he had received less than half the 

 money as soon as they " pointed steadily," both at the 

 living and the dead ; " down charged ; " " backed ; " and 

 were broken from " chasing hare," or noticing rabbits. 



255. The great advantage of fine rangers is not much considered 

 where game is abundant. A friend of mine, a capital shot (though 



far inferior to his namesake, Captain R s of sporting celebrity), 



with whom I have enjoyed some pleasant quail shooting in America, 

 used constantly to hunt a leash of pointers, "Jem," "Beau," and 

 " Fag," the last a regular misnomer, for the dog was incorrigibly 

 idle. It was curious to watch how pertinaciously, like sheep, they 

 herded together, seldom did one wind a bird that would not have 



been found a few seconds afterwards by the others. R s, long 



before I knew him, had relinquished all attempts at making them 

 beat separately indeed, I am not positive that he was fully sensible 



* That price was named in the Table of Contents of the first edition. 



L 2 



