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hunt, get up to, or follow him, "with a short, 

 undecided, shuffling step, and your knees 

 infirmly bended under you, crouching and 

 creeping, just as if you were going to rob a 

 hen-roost; your nose, and the muzzle of your 

 gun too, as far forward as you can well poke 

 them ; and your barrel already more than half 

 on level, with a view (as you at present suppose) 

 of being so much more ready to shoulder?" 

 This, to be sure, may be all well enough when 

 crawling towards a flight of wild fowl, in a fen, 

 or skulking up within reach of a flock of wood- 

 pigeons, at an early breakfast in a pea-field ; 

 but it will never give you the commanding level 

 at a bird on wing : and if, in the midst of one 

 of these half-crippled approaches, yon happen 

 to be surprised by the spring of game, and 

 should be seized with the ambition of bringing 

 your gun to bear upon it, you will find your 

 limbs tottering in your wandering attempts with 

 the muzzle to effect it, and your charge will be 

 sent off at mere random. Sir, I will challenge 

 you to your face, whether it was not, with your 

 arms and your body stiffened into embarrass- 

 ment, by some such mistaken carriage of your- 

 self, that you made your advance upon the 

 black cock, which your luck, far beyond your 

 deserts, has, I perceive, lately been offering 

 you the chance of bringing home in triumph. 



