206 TEN YEARS OF GAME-KEEPING 



are themselves. They vie with the proverbial 

 loquacity of women of all ages. But no matter how 

 often keepers meet, or how long they talk, their 

 topic of conversation is always the same game. 

 Even when a keeper goes for a brief holiday, his 

 sole interest, judging by his remarks, is for the 

 game he encounters. I have often thought that a 

 record of keepers' dreams would be interesting ; 

 but I am sure there would be few in which game 

 and shooting did not predominate. 



With few exceptions the keepers I have met have 

 been not only keepers, but sportsmen. Some of the 

 old school counted a successful haul of October 

 pheasants, walked up in turnips, fine sport ; others 

 considered the beating of coverts from ride to ride, 

 resulting in a thorough snuffing of tame birds, the 

 crowning example of their sporting ethics ; and 

 others scorned the idea of shooting at pheasants 

 which were low or slow while there was half a 

 chance of making them into rocketers. All these 

 men were at heart good sportsmen, each according 

 to his light. Degree of sportsmanship is all a 

 question of training and ability ; besides, in estimating 

 the sportsmanship of keepers, one must not forget 

 that old adage, ' Like master, like man,' is especially 

 applicable. 



The keeper who, for all the years he can re- 

 member, has had drummed into him the theory and 

 practice of 'mopping-up,' would feel his sportsman- 



