MY DOGS AND OTHERS 261 



her. This, I think, is to be explained in two ways : 

 either her delight at the prospect of going out with 

 me caused her to forget the pain for the time being, 

 or by mere coincidence it so happened that I 

 released her during the few seconds of numbness 

 preceding the sensation of maddening pain. 



I never shot a dog, dead, unless by request. To 

 take so drastic a step with a local dog is seldom the 

 best policy, while to shoot a dog that perhaps never 

 may come that way again is not worth the almost 

 certain risk of a row. I admit that I have found it 

 a hard matter to refrain from shooting a good many 

 dogs. More than one keeper has misjudged an 

 attempt merely to sting up a dog. Once I thought I 

 was well into a scrape. I was with another man in one 

 of my woods making the final preparations for a shoot. 

 All the morning we heard two dogs having a rare 

 innings in somebody else's wood a couple of fields 

 distant. It was not my place to interfere with them 

 there ; nor, in view of my coming shoot, was it 

 diplomatic to do so. All I hoped was that they 

 would not adjourn to my wood. However, follow- 

 ing a lull in the duet in my neighbour's wood, my 

 mate and I were roused to fury by hearing the 

 brutes break out in my covert. I went to fetch my 

 gun, which had been left with other tackle, and 

 slipped round to watch a broad ride. Just as I came 

 to the top of it the two brutes crossed about sixty 

 yards down. I let them have it broadside. They 



