202 A GAMEKEEPER'S NOTE-BOOK 



almost perpendicularly. The explanation seemed to 

 be that the fractured bone-ends had joined, and 

 kept their place accidentally, for the few moments 

 of the flight. 



A sporting old gentleman, who was very deaf, always 

 took a small boy with him shooting, whose duty 



seemed to be to stand behind his master and 

 A do nothing. He never carried cartridges, 



Story an( ^ lked incapable of loading a gun. One 



day we asked the boy to explain his mission 

 in life. " 'Tis this way," said he. " In each hand I 

 holds a pin, and I gives the master a prick behind to 

 let him know when game be a-coming if on this side 

 or on t'other." 



More than once, descending the steep face of the 



Downs, we have set foot upon hares in their forms- 



crouching so closely as to be unseen until 



t C H e S ^ e ^ ' an( ^ once we nave witnessed a curious 

 fatal accident which befell a half -grown hare 

 through the habit of lying low. Partridge-shooting 

 was going on in a field of sainfoin, and as the guns lined 

 out from the fence we saw this hare dancing, as it 

 were, on her head. It was a dance of death, and 

 before we could reach her puss was lying still. One 

 of the guns had actually trodden on her head, and had 

 passed on unknowingly. Half-grown and under- 



