4 EAMBLES AFTEE SPOET. 



Lis toilette as deftly as any lady's maid on her mistress 

 in Belgravia, althougli slie stood about 5ft. lOin. high, 

 and weighed, I should say, a trifle under twenty-one 

 stone. I have almost forgotten to say that his hands 

 were encased in a pair of wadded canvas muffatees, with 

 only a thumb piece, and with a slit in front of the 

 fore-finger of the right hand when he required it to 

 pull the trigger ; and that he had ready for wet weather 

 an oiled canvas coat reaching from his neck to his 

 heel^. Altogether, he presented the appearance of, 

 more than anything I can call to mind, an Esqui- 

 maux in his most wintry dress. 



Alas, poor Dan ! what a shot he was ! I used some- 

 times to think he must be a species of " developed " 

 sea-bird himself. I most certainly know that if, after 

 looking up at the sky and sniffing at something in the 

 air, he oracularly declared ^'^ Ne'er a flight to-day,'' you 

 might just as well go to bed at your hotel like a civilised 

 Christian for all the birds you would get. 



I found Dan's two lads, as he called them, fine, manly, 

 sturdy fellows, of twenty-one and eighteen, with whom 

 before the'week was over I formed quite a friendship; 

 they were on their own hook, having recently purchased 

 a smack of about 20 tons burden, in which they went 

 fishing, or it was hired out by the week or so, as in my 

 case; I am afraid to name the moderate sum they 

 charged me — much less than is expected by a ^^ swell " 

 gamekeeper for a warm corner on battue day. They 

 provided their own food, but, as brother sportsmen, we 

 all shared alike the contents of the hamper. May I 

 never eat with a worse pair ! 



Aware by experience, as I said before, of what a 

 gunner's morning is, I determined to sleep in. the cofiee 



