io6 How I Became a Sportsman. 



he had been all over the ground, killed all 

 the cocks, and had the cream of the thing, 

 and so expressed myself. 



" You need not take much trouble about 

 him," said the landlord ; " he is rather a feeble 

 old gentleman, does not go out till late in the 

 day, and if he can kill a snipe he is perfectly 

 satisfied ; he dines upon it, and his dog has the 

 bones." 



This I thought was a crammer, as sporting 

 dogs will not as a rule eat snipe or woodcock 

 bones, or, except very rarely, bones of game 

 at all. But when I saw the gentleman and 

 his dog the next day, they were so lean I 

 might well have believed it. Fisher then 

 inquired who could go with us to show us 

 the ground and carry the bag ; he said as he 

 was not busy he would, if agreeable, himself 

 accompany us on the morrow, and that there 

 was a man in the village named Lewis, a capital 

 beater, who knew the ground thoroughly, and 

 who always went out with gentlemen who came 

 for the shooting. 



" The very thing ! send for Lewis at once ; " 

 which he accordingly did. 



When Lewis made his appearance, I thought 



