CH. xvi.] SUWAKROW. 291 



working steadily and cautiously, and never attempting to run into 

 or spring his game until I came close up to him." 



530. Grouse were unusually on the run one misty day, when the 

 able Judge mentioned in 490 was shooting over " Captain's '' com- 

 panion, "Suwarrow." The dog "roaded" a pack for some time 

 very patiently, but suddenly darted off for a considerable distance 

 to the right and dropped into a long hag, through the mazes of 

 which Lord M f followed as fast as the nature of the ground 

 would permit him. Every now and then the dog just raised his 

 head above the heather to satisfy himself that his Lordship was 

 coming. Where the hag ceased, and " Suwarrow " could no longer 

 conceal his movements, he commenced a very curious system of 

 tactics, travelling, after a most extraordinary fashion, sideways 

 on the arc of a circle, constantly keeping his stern towards its 

 centre. At length he wheeled about, and stood stock-still at a fixed 



point, as if inviting Lord M f to approach. He did so, raised 



a large pack, and had a capital right and left. 



531. It would appear that the "Marshal" soon perceived that 

 he had no chance of being enabled by a regular pursuit to bring his 

 artillery to bear upon the retreating party ; he, therefore, resorted 

 to a novel strategy to lull them into fancied security, and induce 

 them to halt. He at once made a feint of abandoning the pursuit, 

 and moved off to the flank. He made a forced concealed march in 

 the hag ; and when it would no longer mask his plans and he was 

 compelled to show himself, he merely let them see his rear guard, 

 that they might still think he was retiring, and did not show any 

 front until he had fairly entangled them between himself and his 

 guns. It was a feat worthy of " Wellington " or " Napoleon," let 



alone " Suwarrow." By the bye, it explains why Lord M d's 



dog (295) faced about whenever he perceived that his presence 

 alarmed the birds. 



532. If "Grouse" (206), Tolfrey's bitch, "Albert," 

 and " Suwarrow " had been taught to " hunt from lee- 

 ward to windward without the gun " (522), they would 

 have been habituated to seeing game intercepted between 

 themselves and their masters, and then their spon- 

 taneously heading running birds (though undeniably 

 evincing great intelligence) would not have been so very 

 remarkable. They would but have reversed matters 

 by placing themselves to windward of the birds while 

 the gun was to leeward. This shows that the acquisition 

 of that accomplishment (522) would be a great step 

 towards securing a knowledge of the one we are now 



u 2 



