ANECDOTE OF A DAY S SNIPE-SHOOTING 199 



dead), was so amused, and shook so with laughter, 

 that he also suddenly went down up to his armpits. I 

 shall never forget the rapid change in his expression, 

 from extreme mirth to terror. The day being cold and 

 frosty rendered their position all the more miserable. 

 Neither I nor the ranger could help them, for had we 

 gone near them we should have shared the same fate. 

 There was nothing for it but to send the ranger off to 

 his house, a mile away, for the strongest rope he could 

 find, and in less than three-quarters of an hour he 

 returned, and we were not long in extricating the 

 lighter of our unfortunate friends, whom I was left to 

 cheer up as best I could while waiting for the rope ; 

 but to lug out seventeen stone was only achieved alter 

 an infinite amount of pulling and hauling. They were 

 both so cold and wet that they had to go off to the 

 keeper's house, take off their clothes, and retire between 

 the blankets until they were dried ; and I was left to 

 finish the day alone, and had a very fine day's sport, but 

 the birds were so wild from want of a wind that I 

 could not get within easy range of them. Altogether 

 our bag amounted to some twenty-five couple of full 

 snipe. 



Should any of my readers not have experienced the 

 sensation of being bogged, I will endeavour to explain 

 to them how to act should such ever be their mis- 

 fortune. Even the most experienced bog-shooters in 

 Ireland are liable to be bogged at times, for, in the 

 excitement of turning round to fire at a bird, one is 

 apt to forget how precarious one's footing is, and one 

 step in the wrong place and down you go. However, 

 there is really little or no danger if, immediately a 

 person finds himself going, he throws himself fiat on 



