RELATIONS WITH FARMERS, ETC. 25 



of farm labourers hired at 2s. 6d. a day plus a scratch 

 lunch of bread and cheese. The month was December, 

 it may be added, and the temperature stood not very 

 far above zero. At a glance we discovered that not 

 only was the keeper feared not a bad condition of 

 affairs but that he was actively hated. One or two 

 strayremarks dropped by the beaters in highly flavoured 

 Yorkshire dialect soon convinced us of this. As for the 

 keeper, he ordered his rank and file about as if they all 

 combined roguery with stupidity and laziness. No doubt 

 many of his beaters were brainless, lumbering loons, but 

 it is not always wise in this sensitive world to call a man 

 a fool, especially when numerous adjectives of a sanguin- 

 ary and condemnatory nature are prefixed. Let us not 

 be charged with desiring the keeper to proceed, say, on 

 these lines: " Would you mind, my dear Mr. Clodhopper, 

 kindly accompanying the rest of the men in beating out 

 this cover ? " But there is a medium between this and 



the not uncommon, " Nah, then, ye , stir yer 



legs and look sharp, you ." Not only does 



such want of common consideration, such absolute ignor- 

 ance of human nature which in all its manifestations 

 has some form of pride and self-respect, however small 

 tend to the ill-being of a particular shooting, it has in 

 the long-run a damaging effect on sport in general. We 

 do not suggest that the keeper's attitude should be one 

 of obsequious fawning for favour, but he should re- 

 member that there are elements in society which are 

 daily becoming more antagonistic to the game laws, and 



