14 TEN YEARS OF GAME-KEEPING 



touched that he confided to me that his brother-in- 

 law could "andle a gun jest about,' and that the 

 year before, during the cutting of a piece of ' earn 

 over against yonder beechen belt,' he had shot no 

 fewer than seven rabbits in succession. The setting 

 of so high a standard made me feel a bit nervous 

 for my own reputation, till I discovered that the 

 aforesaid brother-in-law had waited till each rabbit 

 stopped and ' set up.' He simply ignored those 

 that did not stop to ' set up,' or did not ' set up ' 

 long enough for him to align his piece. However, 

 it was not long before I blotted out the brother-in- 

 law's record. It was on the occasion of the cutting 

 of some rye-grass. I felt like burying my head in 

 a hare-pocket when 'Enry, the head-carter (he of 

 the ' wutts ' and ' darls '), told his mates that ' he 

 was blest if ever in all 'is life he'd seen sich a feller 

 to shoot. Whether they be a-runnin' strite or 

 caperin' like bla-azes all over the shop, he do jest 

 about cocksteddle 'em over there b'ain't no mistake 

 about that.' 



Of course, I had lost no time in making the 

 acquaintance of the famous brother-in-law. There 

 might be wrinkles to be gained, I thought, even 

 from a man who shot seven ' set-up ' rabbits in 

 succession. Another thing : he had permission to 

 take a gun with him to work, for the purpose of 

 scaring rooks and pigeons, and shooting any of 

 them he could. He was rather beyond the middle 



