336 . SHOOTING 



the mound " ; to which he rejoined, " Was you, 

 really ? Lor, now, if I didn't think it was the 

 miller's old donkey ! and, thinks I, if the aggravat- 

 ing old beast gets there, a shot or two won't hurt 

 un, and teach him not to get there again ; so I lets 

 ' goo ' when the ducks comes along. There, and so 

 'twas you, sir ; lor, now, to think of that ! " and the 

 old fellow went off into a series of chuckles. 



His gun was an extraordinary one — a single 

 barrel, something like four feet long, about eight 

 bore. I asked what charge he put in, and he 

 showed me a measure that held at least four 

 drachms of powder, and another that would con- 

 tain about three ounces of number two shot. This 

 was how he loaded, and in addition, he said, he 

 always put in a couple of pistol-shots — " they did 

 bring anything down so sweet that they hit." So 

 these were the pleasant things I heard strike the 

 ground just behind me. I went home at once, 

 thankful that I had not been bagged. 



TUKNBLM. ANO .Sl'KAKS, I'KINTKHS, KUIMJLIJGII. 



