1*20 A Sportsman at Large 



new species to add to my schedule of feathered victims. So 

 I got busy ! 



The birds swarmed on the heights of Cairn Turk and Sandy 

 had a strenuous time collecting the dead, which finally totted 

 up twelve-and-a-half brace. The mist had now disappeared 

 and the surrounding moors and tops stood out in all their 

 glory of form and colour. I had forgotten all about our true 

 and legitimate objective stags ; but as Sandy and I made 

 our descent it occurred to me that we had not set out with the 

 intention of collecting ptarmigan, but of possessing ourselves 

 of a decorative head and, incidentally, of a welcome supply of 

 venison. This was forcibly brought home to me when we 

 met my lusty pard. I showed him my bag of " greys " with 

 much pride ; but instead of being impressed with my per- 

 formance, he proceeded to read me the riot act in no 

 measured terms. In fact, he was nearly apoplectic with hardly 

 suppressed wrath. 



" This is a nice game you've played me, Cox," he blustered. 

 " What in Heaven's name induced you to open fire on those 

 d d ptarmigan ? S'truth, you've sent every (adjective) stag 

 scampering off the forest, and just as I was nicely placed for a 

 safe pull, too ! Confound it, man, you might have had better 

 sense." 



I was overwhelmed and felt utterly miserable. I cursed 

 myself inwardly for my lack of understanding and thought- 

 lessness. 



But my pard was a kind-hearted soul. He recognized that 

 I had acted out of sheer ignorance. 



" Never mind, my lad," he said, patting me paternally on 

 the shoulder. " It was not your fault how could you 

 know ? " 



Then, turning to the shamefaced Sandy, his tone again 

 changed and he let the vials of his wrath flow on the devoted 

 head of the luckless Scot, in such a torrent, that the victim was 

 reduced to a quivering jelly. 



It has been ever a mystery to me why Sandy did not warn 

 me of the sporting solecism which I was committing when 

 indulging in a battue of ptarmigan in the middle of a deer 

 forest ! Perhaps he owed his master one ! 



