A Sportsman at Large 101 



with honours complete, of the Monarch of the Capricornian 

 harem. 



The big game shooter was puffed up with unpardonable 

 pride and had a stirring tale to tell of the stalk which had 

 ended in the death of the hoary billy. But some days later, 

 McDonald, elated by too free indulgence in illicit potheen, 

 gave the show away. It seems that during the previous 

 winter, the weather had been so unpropitious that the goats 

 of Innistorwhele were unable to obtain sufficient nutriment, 

 and were in parlous plight ; but some humanitarian (I think 

 it must have been Mr. Oram, the good factor of Burrishoole) 

 became wise to the situation and made arrangements whereby 

 the odoriferous animals were regularly fed from the mainland, 

 with the consequence that they soon grew confidential and 

 quite tame. It is wonderful how the cravings of hunger act 

 in subduing the natural timidity of Nature's wild children. 

 So it came to pass that the goats, being possessed of excellent 

 memories, and imagining that Ted's cutting-out expedition 

 was simply a renewal of last year's relief arrangements, came 

 scampering down from their hilly fastnesses led by the hirsute 

 and magnificent William, bent on a banquet at the hands of 

 the invaders. Our head man went on to say that when Ted 

 had his back turned to the throng, and was stooping to fasten 

 a boot lace, the aforesaid William so far forgot himself as 

 to take a running leap at my cousin, implanting a vigor- 

 ous if playful butt on the most prominent part of his 

 person. 



The impact sent Ted sprawling. This unprovoked assault 

 raised his ire so that he there and then determined to put 

 " paid " to any further indecencies of the kind. But being, 

 all said and done, a sportsman born and bred, he gave the 

 offending billy what he considered sufficient law. Our faithful 

 bull-terrier Randy (show name, " Champion Streatham Mon- 

 arch II ") was loosed on the offending goat, who at first treated 

 the dog with contempt, attempting to administer the same 

 paralysing shock as he had awarded Ted ; but he did not know 

 Randy and his implacable methods. A very pretty scrap 

 ensued, witnessed in awesome silence by William's houris 

 and the human adventurers. The battle waged furiously, 



