A Sportsman at Large 143 



turn, full of hope and no little confidence ; as the pigeons 

 then being trapped were of inferior quality and offered an 

 easy mark for any average shot who had his nerves well under 

 control as I had. 



Always, it has been a peculiarity of my disposition, that 

 whilst awaiting any contest in which I have been engaged, I 

 have felt ^n a highly nervous condition and have suffered the 

 prick of " the needle " most disturbingly ; but once the game 

 is started, these tremors have evaporated and I have found 

 myself as calm and steady as a rock. I have been in a state 

 of abject funk, when awaiting in the paddock two words, 

 " Mount, please ! " : but as soon as I have been swung into 

 the saddle, I have cantered my gee to the post as care-free and 

 jolly as a sand-boy ; only to suffer a relapse when lining up. 

 Then once more, when the flag fell and " off " was signalled, I 

 was myself again, desperately intent on my chance of being 

 first past the post ! 



The same thing has happened in athletic contests, where my 

 own two legs had to do duty for a race-horse's four. 



When fretting my hour as a mummer, and listening at the 

 wings for my cue, I have experienced ultra-rapid palpitations, 

 but once I had the footlights in front of me, I was chock-full of 

 ease and confidence. 



So it was, when awaiting my turn to face the traps. As 

 soon as ever my foot was on the mark, I was utterly im- 

 perturbable. 



On the momentous occasion with which I am now dealing : 

 I had that cock-sure feeling which generally presages success ; 

 but as it so happened, my calculations were upset by the 

 very conditions which, with better luck, should have made my 

 eleventh bird a certainty. 



When I cried " Pull " the centre trap (No. 3) came over 

 and the pigeon sat. For the benefit of the uninitiated, I may 

 explain that, in such case, the shooter has the option of having 

 the " sitter " flushed by one of the " tireurs " who lobs a 

 wooden ball at it for the purpose ; or he (the shooter) can 

 call " No bird! " and have another. The latter course is, of 

 course, the more sporting one, but I must frankly confess 

 that though it was my invariable custom to call " No bird " 



