90 SHOOTING THE PARTRIDGE 
The other man, called B., has not had the same 
opportunities, and cannot afford the same perfection 
of turn-out. He is probably a poorer man—he is, so 
to speak, a provincial, and neither by social position 
nor residence enjoys the chance of shooting where 
game is very plentiful and organisation very perfect. 
But, on the other hand, he is probably ‘country-bred, 
often, though not always, a good sportsman, a keen 
judge of a dog or a horse,’a bit of a naturalist, a 
good walker, and sometimes a really good shot. His 
weapon—he has but one—is possibly an old pin-fire, 
a fairly-made, but badly-balanced, gun by a local 
maker, with hammers, but without ejectors, of which 
the most that can be said is that it will probably kill 
a bird at all ordinary ranges if you can hold it straight. 
His cartridges are not of brass, nor even green cases ; 
they may be very good or very bad, according to 
circumstances ; and he has no servant to load for him, 
but likely enough a handy man who knows something 
of petty sessions, pantries, and partridges, and who is 
an infallible marker. 
Now how can you bring A. and B. together on 
the subject of partridge-shooting? The only answer 
is, Why should you try? I will only try so far as to 
urge that neither should despise nor dislike the 
other. Depend upon it, they both know a good deal 
