ii6 How I Became a Sportsman. 



We then went back to our cock-shooting, 

 and found lots of birds, but missed them 

 frightfully, only killing one out of seven or 

 eieht shots. It then came on to rain in such 

 torrents that we were soon drenched to the 

 skin ; everything got so soaked that our guns 

 would not go off — we had muzzle-loaders in 

 those days. I shot with a gun by Lang, and 

 my friend one by Westley Richards, and ex- 

 cellent guns they of course were ; but such 

 torrents as we had no muzzle-loader was proof 

 against, though I have never found a breach- 

 loader to miss fire from that cause. 



The day was getting on, and we had nearly 

 six miles to walk ; and having taken a drop all 

 round of a private whiskey still, which Davies 

 the landlord had kept in reserve, and well it 

 went surely, we counted our bag: three couple 

 of cocks, two couple of snipe, four teal, several 

 rabbits, the two hares which we had sent 

 home, and the owl. We made the best of our 

 way back ; but it was almost night when we got 

 there, and were delighted to find comfortable 

 fires in our bed-rooms, and foot-pans with hot 

 water for our feet, which was highly necessary 

 after the boggy ground we had been in. 



