296 A Sportsman at Large 



and it was many a day before the unfortunate Edward was 

 allowed to forget his weird performance. Every morning 

 when he went out one of his colleagues was sure to say : 

 " Aw' Ned, had yez not betther take a spare gaff wid yez, in 

 case so be yez lose wan in the back av a fish ? " 



To return to Ballinahinch. 



By the time the I2th of October had arrived and rods and 

 tackle were regretfully laid aside, my personal tally amounted 

 to ninety-four salmon and five hundred and seven sea-trout ; 

 whilst many others had fallen to Teddy Maurice and the late 

 Oswald Part, who, with his sportive wife, had been with us 

 in the earlier days of my tenancy. About this time we 

 were visited by the Hon. Aubrey Hastings, of " Ascetic 

 Silver" fame; but this was before that gallant steed and his 

 accomplished rider had pulled off " The Grand National." 



Fishing being at an end, our thoughts turned to villainous 

 saltpetre, and guns took the place of rods ; but it was some 

 time before we had anything of importance to shoot at. 

 There was a certain number of snipe scattered among the 

 rushes that fringed the river, but they were few and far 

 between ; so that there was nothing doing until the " cock " 

 began to come in. Even these succulent fowl were not 

 exactly in profusion, though we managed to bag a respectable 

 number. 



Participating in this sport were two cheery gunmen, Com- 

 mander Wilson, son of the sea, and his brother, Captain 

 Leslie, of the same ilk a soldier bold. Moreover, my two 

 lads, who had looked upon fishing as an altogether con- 

 temptible activity, waxed quite enthusiastic now that 

 shooting was toward. In fact, so eager was the younger of 

 the two, Lionel, that in his anxiety to encompass the death 

 of the elusive Scollopida, that he blazed at every one which 

 came within a hundred yards of his ken. Nor did he hesitate 

 to let off even when the bird was flying so low that the beaters 

 to say nothing of his precious friends and relatives were 

 in imminent danger of being peppered. 



It was only a matter of time before the inevitable happened, 

 for, having let loose at a woodcock which flew directly to the 

 rear of the beaters, we were greeted with loud lamentations 



