TYPES OF SHOOTERS 183 



he was unaware that the hedge from which I 

 proposed to start each beat was the boundary. 

 More than once have I seen this shooter leave the 

 line and follow birds on his own account ; and 

 men who had been acting as beaters where he was 

 invited to shoot told me that he would take upon 

 himself to countermand orders they had received. 

 I took very good care that his suggestions were 

 disregarded where I was in command. 



Then there is the man who never will stay where 

 he is placed. True, there are occasions when by 

 shifting his stand a man may get more shooting, or 

 prevent game from breaking away ; but you may 

 be sure a keeper places guns to the best of his 

 ability, and each stand is carefully considered with 

 regard to its effect on other stands and other beats. 

 A host often points out the stands to guns, but 

 whether the keeper or the host has selected the 

 stands, the keeper manoeuvres the beaters according 

 to a pre-arranged placing of the guns. We were 

 partridge-driving, and at a particular drive I knew 

 there would be a good many hares, which were 

 certain to make for a favourite gap. Leaving the 

 gun whose turn it was to be outside within a dozen 

 yards of this gap, after giving him a special hint 

 that he would get a few hares, I hurried off to catch 

 up the beaters. We did the drive, and though 

 seventeen hares passed through the gap, I heard 

 only a few shots. I reached the guns, to be 



