A Sportsman at Large 15 



of teeth, the cowardly birds would retreat until they were 

 just beyond the length of his tether, and then the rooster 

 would flap his wings and indulge in ill-timed crowing and 

 struttings. 



This struck me as being unreasonable, so I watched my 

 opportunity, unfastened the old dog's bonds, and bidding 

 him take up his position in his kennel and lie low, I awaited 

 developments. 



Issue was soon joined. 



The enemy descended on the flesh-pots as usual, but when 

 Dash, with no restraining chain, dashed out, there was a 

 rare to-do. The retreat became a rout, and the blatant 

 Cochin and his entourage were only just in time to escape 

 dire disaster by hustling through the trap-door of the hen- 

 run, where their enemy could not follow. But the raiders 

 were not to be thus easily debarred from their forays. Their 

 C.O., relying on the aforesaid trap-door, repeated the 

 manoeuvre, leaving Dash, thoroughly disgruntled, snarling 

 defiance through the wire netting of the hen-run. Again 

 human intelligence, as exemplified by a simple little child, 

 was brought into play. This time I waited until the 

 feathered felons were close on their objective, and then 

 slipped over to their retreat and lowered the trap-door of 

 their legitimate quarters ; consequently, when Dash made 

 his assault, their haven of safety was debarred them, and 

 the gallant old dog had the time of his life ! Such a clucking 

 and squawking you never heard. Murder would surely have 

 ensued had not Old Mary, at the head of her scullions, caused 

 a diversion. As it was, the bumptious rooster was a sorry 

 sight to behold, having lost the whole of his tail feathers and 

 a goodly mouthful of lesser plumes. Thenceforth Dash was 

 left in peace ; but his hatred of the whole chicken tribe 

 (except when cooked and garnished) remained unabated. 



Dear little old Grannie was wont to say that Dash would 

 eat up an old boot rather than that the fowls should have it. 



Being of an inquiring and experimental turn of mind, I 

 decided to put this theory to the test. 



I dismembered a worn-out shooting boot belonging to 

 The Dads and strewed the pieces in front of the old dog's 



