24 A Sportsman at Large 



Rushing to The Dads room, I rudely awakened him and 

 poured out my gratitude in an incoherent torrent. 



The learned Sergeant was coyly overwhelmed. 



" There, there," he said, " that will do ! It's more than 

 you deserve ; but, bless me, after seeing you bowl over a 

 rabbit with that death-trap of a weapon, I thought I would 

 give you a chance, though, really, you are far too young 

 and reckless to be trusted with a gun of your own. You know 

 the rules of the game, see that you keep to them. Now run 

 along, there's a good chap, and be ready to start an hour 

 after breakfast." 



Was I ready ? You bet ! 



But The Dads was not. 



Irwin and my Uncle Gill (irreverently known by the prefix 

 " Gaffer " vice " Uncle ") were waiting with Ward, the keeper, 

 and his assistant. With them was old Sancho, a liver-and- 

 white pointer, which had been a stand-by for many seasons 

 past, but who was now somewhat archaic. He was a staunch 

 and reliable old fellow, as slow as a man, but a sticker and 

 a tryer all the time, although occasionally he would play a 

 well-worn practical joke on the shooters by freezing on to 

 nothing! Then when the forces, with beating hearts and 

 on the tip-toe of expectation, converged on his point, he 

 would break it, and amble off with a derisive wave of his 

 tail, as who should say, " Sold again ! " There was a time 

 when such deliberate frauds on the innocent met with well- 

 merited punishment in the form of an ash-plant, laid on 

 hard and good ; but latterly the dignity which is supposed 

 to attach itself to Anno Domini forbade such drastic measures. 

 Now a gentle word of reproof, accompanied by a glance of 

 sorrowful reproach, was all he had to fear for the award of 

 his backslidings. 



At last, The Dads, who had been engaged with the village 

 policeman in a mysterious matter which had to do with some 

 local miscreant, joined us in the yard. At the last moment 

 the ever-ready Toby, who had been locked up as one unfitted 

 for the sport toward, broke barracks, rushed up, and began 

 caressing our gun barrels one by one, as was his wont. 



A gun was a fetish to Tobias. 



