FIREARMS, USE AND ABUSE OF THEM. 123 



him a kick. I saw that the Baron was intent on 

 mischief, and was poking at him with his gun ; and 

 I was thinking to myself, " What an old fool you 

 must be to poke at anything so near another person's 

 legs." I could not suppose that he was thinking of 

 firing ; but this was his intention, for crack went the 

 cap, and his gun, which I well remember was 

 made by Blanch, of Fleet Street, . had missed fire. 

 The affair took me so completely by surprise, that 

 there was no time to jump about, or turn round, or 

 call out to him, " Don't shoot here ! Mind where you're 

 shooting ! " and so forth. Certain however it is, that 

 had his old " Blanch " gone off, I should not only 

 have been cut off my legs, but very probably killed 

 outright. " Well," I said, turning to a gentleman who 

 was standing close to me, and who was no less than 

 Sir Gilbert Heathcote's son, now Lord Aveland, 

 " what do you think of that ? " " Think of that ? " 

 he said. "Why, if his gun had gone off he would 

 have cut you in halves.'' So also said Peach, the 

 head keeper, who was walking by the worthy Baron's 

 side, when I said to him, " Peach, did you see that 

 gun miss fire ?" " Indeed, I did, sir," said he ; "and 

 I expected to see you fall dead." I may here men- 

 tion that the Peaches were keepers on the estate for 



