144 A Sportsman at Large 



when a confiding " rock " sat somnolently on the trap-plate, 

 it was chiefly for reasons far apart from sportsmanship. I 

 had learnt that although one had the advantage of knowing 

 the exact location of one's objective if the " tireur " bowled 

 pretty straight, the startled " pige " would often rise 

 hurriedly and in its efforts to avoid the missile, twist like a 

 particularly lively snipe, and cause one to mistime one's shot. 

 So in this instance, as usual, after calling " No bird ! " I 

 returned to my mark and again inquiring " Are you ready ? " 

 gave the direction " Pull ! " 



This time No. 5 trap came over and again a confiding 

 " sitter " bau'ked me. 



A third time there was a repetition of this exasperating in- 

 terlude No. 2 trap ! Thus there remained traps i and 4. 

 which might, or might not, contain a similar sample. I had 

 seen the secretary go over to Roberts (not Harry), the pigeon 

 purveyor in charge, and give a direction which I might well 

 guess at. I had no doubt it was an order to trap a better class 

 of bird ! 



Next time my " Pull ! " was followed by the collapse of No. 

 4 trap, and from this emerged one of the fastest rocks I have 

 ever seen. It was like a streak of lightning, and flew as straight 

 as a die the shortest way to the boundary. I was never 

 quicker or more accurate. The centre of the charge of my 

 first barrel caught the bird and crumpled it up like a ball ; 

 but alas, the impetus of its flight took it over the low boundary 

 and into the sea, as dead as a door-nail. I had not the 

 remotest chance of using my second, and even it I had, it could 

 have been of no avail. Had I winged the bird only, it must 

 have fallen in bounds ; but, as it was, the very accuracy of my 

 shot defeated itself ! 



Perhaps with this pigeon to my credit I might have managed 

 another, and so tied with an Italian and a Belgian, who could 

 boast of a clean score ; and as these, in shooting off, were so 

 nervous that each missed two birds following, I might con- 

 ceivably have triumphed ! As it was, the representative 

 of Bella Italia just scraped one down, whilst the Flamand (or 

 perhaps he was a Walloon) again let his bird escape unscathed. 

 There were seven shooters besides myself, who, at the end of 



