76 A Sportsman at Large 



I have on another page in this book remarked how a 

 particular stone, trench or " hide " in a river, will harbour 

 a salmon persistently. As soon as one is caught, another is 

 almost sure to take its place. 



It was a similar case with this pellucid little spring and its 

 visiting snipe. 



It was a case of " one down, 'tother come on ! " though I 

 drew on the reserve rather severely. Of course there were 

 days when it was a case of " call again " ; but I reckon that 

 on four out of five there was a " find," and generally a " kill," 

 as by this time I had mastered the art of snipe-shooting, 

 this form of gunning having been always a speciality of mine, 

 and one which, later on, proved an excellent education for 

 pigeon contests, the eye, the swing and the timing being 

 very similar. 



But for some reason or other the rear-guard of the snipe 

 which patronized this spring became very wild and wary ; 

 unlike the earlier habitues which had been confidingly close- 

 liers. One would almost imagine that the shades of the 

 departed had sounded a warning note to the survivors of 

 their kind. 



This persistence of single snipe, in frequenting a particular 

 patch, reminds me of one Dan O'Rourke, an Irish farmer on 

 the Ballynahinch Estate, on whose holding was a small spring 

 similarly visited by a single snipe. Every morning when 

 Dan went to his work, he passed the spot, and regularly as 

 clockwork that snipe would rise and dodge the shillelagh, 

 which Dan invariably hurled at it with a withering curse. 



At last the fatal day dawned when, by some dreadful 

 decree of Fate, the million to one chance came off, and 

 the luckless snipe failed to avoid " the sprig," which 

 met it full-force in mid air and brought it lifeless to Mother 

 Earth. 



" Hooroosh ! " shouted Dan, as he rushed to gather the 

 spoils. " Aw, a moighty foine shot, me bhoy ! More power 

 te yez ! " 



Then all of a sudden he pulled up and scratched his ruddy 

 locks, as a horrid thought obtruded itself. " Ochone ! " he 

 wailed. " Ut's a demented fule yez is, Dan O'Rourke. Faith ! 



