188 WILD LIFE IN CHINA. 



two inches (measured), which would make the piece of 

 ordnance over eight feet in length. It weighed 18 catties. 

 We foreigners sometimes growl at the 64 to 7i lb. guns usually 

 weigh. Fancy having to carry a twenty-four pounder, which 

 was what this man did all day longandevery day in the week! 

 He was accompanied by a small weird-looking animal, a most 

 unpresentable little wonk, on whom he laid great store. 

 Curiosity impelled us to take a look at man and dog at work, and 

 whatwe sawmade such an impression upon us that we thought 

 some little record of it might interest others. To cut a 

 long story short this is briefly what we saw. A hen pheasant 

 happened to drop into a furrowed field at feeding time. 

 We saw her distinctly running up and down in search of 

 food. The native took her bearings, crept up as closely as he 

 safely could, deposited his gun on a bit of higher ground, 

 and kept it trained on the bird. Meantime, the dog lay down 

 across the barrel of the gun as a screen for his master. 

 The psychological moment arrived, the gun was fired, the 

 bird was killed upon the ground, and the dog remained 

 upon the barrel until his master took the gun up to reload it. 

 Now this doubtless reads very much like romance, but it is 

 a fact that can be attested by three eye-witnesses." 



We must leave to a succeeding chapter some account of 

 other aspects of Chinese field sports, including Tartar and 

 Chinese falconry, which dates from very early times indeed, 

 and is still in vogue, though, of course, in parts of the Empire 

 where the multitudinous creek, so common in the deltas of 

 the Si Kiang, the Yangtze, and the Yellow Rivers, are 

 unknown. The great plains of the north are the natural 

 home of such sport, and it is there that we shall find it in all 

 its charm and vivacity. 



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