A Sportsman at Large 81 



hit hard and good, but not sufficiently so to bowl him over. 

 Away he went, with Cockie Junior coursing him gallantly. 

 Pursued and pursuer soon topped the summit of the ridge 

 and disappeared from sight : nor could either be seen when 

 I also arrived at a point where I could scan the valley beyond. 



After whistling and calling for my terrier until I was utterly 

 fed up, I ran to the hill and set foot on the edge of the mire. 

 Here a rather high stone wall had to be surmounted. I placed 

 my hand on the top, and was lifting myself up when I heard 

 a loud hiss and felt something rap my hand hard. I guessed 

 what it was at once ! An adder had been coiled on the wall, 

 sunning itself, when my hand had disturbed it. With a deadly 

 thrill of horror I examined that member. There was a red 

 mark on the third finger of the left hand, but, glory be, the 

 skin was not broken. Either that adder had suffered from 

 caries or pyorrhoea and had so lost his fangs, or, in his hurry to 

 be quit of my presence, had delivered an ineffective stroke ; 

 but it was a lucky escape for your Uncle Cockie anyway. 

 No wonder he clean missed the first three snipe which gave him 

 a chance. 



Adders were superabundant on Dartmoor in those days, 

 and may be so now. I had the satisfaction of blowing three 

 of these obnoxious reptiles to smithereens during my progres- 

 sion through Ridden that day. Also when going to retrieve 

 a fallen snipe, I disregarded the warnings which had been 

 dinned into me anent the dangerous " moss-holes " which 

 that mire possessed, and so was within an ace of paying a 

 terrible penalty for my negligence. These death-traps are 

 distinguished by the inviting-looking, bright green moss, 

 which surrounds them. Once in their deadly embrace, with 

 no succour at hand, the end is sure and horrific. In this case 

 I felt I had made a faux pas, but, throwing myself backwards 

 on to a tuft of round rushes and holding on like grim death, 

 I was able to drag my one submerged leg free of the lethal 



g ri .P- 



This was a lesson which I took well to heart. Never again 

 was I placed in similar peril, though I was witness of what 

 might have proved an appalling tragedy had not prompt 

 action saved the situation. It happened thus : 



6 



