182 



The Grouse Family 



their feet was a fine Irish setter. In front was the 

 colonel, chipper as a boy, and beside him a mag- 

 nificent heavy pointer. The keen eyes gave me 

 one searching glance, then gleamed with satisfac- 

 tion, for sleep had been what it should be, and he 

 at once recognized the fact. In a moment we 

 were off, and within an hour we had reached the 

 first ground, a series of vast natural pastures with 

 brushy hills beyond. The dogs were started, and 

 as they raced away, the colonel said : — 



" Gentlemen, you are to shoot in turn and to 

 order. When I say ' Go,' the gentleman whose 

 turn it happens to be must either protest there 

 and then, or take what flushes, providing it be a 

 game bird within a reasonable distance. There 

 will be no appeal after either gentleman has fired 



his gun. Mr. M , your friend has won the 



toss, and he wants first shot. You will use both 

 barrels if you see fit ; a bad shell will be ' no bird,' 

 and a fair bird allowed to go unshot at will be 

 ' lost.' Do you understand, gentlemen ? " 



We signified that we thoroughly understood, 

 and the team followed the dogs, which were tack- 

 ing far away. It soon developed that the dogs 

 were having a private match of their own. The 

 red fellow, lean and hard and devil-may-care, 

 like the true Hibernian he was, kept shaking out 

 links until he got to racing speed — and such 

 speed ! On and on he flew, cutting out his 



