112 How I Became a Sportsman. 



an owl scare myself once. I was staying with 

 a party of friends at the very farm-house men- 

 tioned above, but my sleeping quarters were at 

 another farm-house, about a mile and a half 

 off; and one evening, having prolonged our 

 usual game at whist until a later hour than 

 usual, I took up my stick and started. It was 

 a very dark night, and after I had blundered 

 across a large field as well as I could (for- 

 tunately I knew every inch of the road), I 

 was just opening a gate to enter into a narrow 

 lane called the Holloway, being cut out of the 

 sandstone rock, when a frightful hissing saluted 

 my ears. I knew that my friends were too 

 comfortably settled to come out and play me 

 any practical joke, even if they had had time 

 to get there. What could it be ? I stood 

 perfectly quiet, and the sounds ceased ; the 

 moment I moved they began again, worse than 

 ever. Could I have got into a nest of snakes r 

 I am not a nervous man, in fact, I flatter 

 myself those delicate members are about as 

 strong as most people's ; but if anybody's hair 

 stood on end mine did. After debating some 

 time, I could not make it out and went on. 

 There was a foot-plank over a watercourse to 



