194 A Sportsman at Large 



Bosche, and be utilized for some synthetic production or 

 Ersatz comestible. 



In due course the greyhounds arrived, all safe and sound, 

 and were soon busy delighting the hearts of a gay and en- 

 thusiastic throng of sporting warriors by their speed and 

 cleverness, and incidentally providing a welcome addition 

 to the menu of the Mess. 



Came a time when the far spreading pinions of " Peace " 

 (What a sorry " Peace " it has proved !) intervened between 

 the devastating horrors of War and the fury of the outraged 

 gods. 



Our sporting officer was for England, home and beauty. 

 No, he would not abandon his canine team. It had served 

 its purpose well, and each unit was doubly endeared to its 

 proud owner. 



What was to be done ? 



A brain-wave, worthy of the great strategist and tactician 

 that he was, saved the situation. His batman who was 

 also a skilled kennelman, and who acted as slipper in con- 

 nection with the coursing enterprise toward (and some 

 slipper too !) was the only living soul that was taken into the 

 confidence of his master. His name was Tim Mahoney (let 

 us say), from whence his nationality may be easily surmised. 



The transport was at the quay side, and the happy lads were 

 embarking in hilarious mood. 



Tim could be seen traversing the gangway " humping " 

 a plethoric kit-bag. Having deposited this in his master's 

 state room, he returned to terra fir ma, and retrieved a similar 

 burden, then a third, and finally a fourth. 



Let us span time and drop in on our sportsman's spacious 

 and sumptuous kennels, the locality of which it would not be 

 discreet to indicate. 



Lo and behold ! Here were the two couples of expeditionary 

 longtails, safe back in their own cushy quarters, and apparently 

 in the best of health and spirits. Not being Mahatmas, how 

 on earth were their corporeal beings transported from " over- 

 seas " without the intervention of a vigilant Customs service ? 

 It is no easy job to reduce four No. i full- sized and lively grey- 

 hounds to " nothingness ! " 



