206 TEN YEARS OF GAME-KEEPING 
are themselves. They vie with the proverbial 
loquacity of women of all ages. But no matter how 
often keepers meet, or how long they talk, their 
topic of conversation is always the same—game. 
Even when a keeper goes for a brief holiday, his 
sole interest, judging by his remarks, is for the 
game he encounters. I have often thought that a 
record of keepers’ dreams would be interesting ; 
but I am sure there would be few in which game 
and shooting did not predominate. 
With few exceptions the keepers I have met have 
been not only keepers, but sportsmen. Some of the 
old school counted a successful haul of October 
pheasants, walked up in turnips, fine sport; others 
considered the beating of coverts from ride to ride, 
resulting in a thorough snuffing of tame birds, the 
crowning example of their sporting ethics; and 
others scorned the idea of shooting at pheasants 
which were low or slow while there was half a 
chance of making them into rocketers. All these 
men were at heart good sportsmen, each according 
to his light. Degree of sportsmanship is all a 
question of training and ability ; besides, in estimating 
the sportsmanship of keepers, one must not forget 
that old adage, ‘ Like master, like man,’ is especially 
applicable. 
The keeper who, for all the years he can re- 
member, has had drummed into him the theory and 
practice of ‘mopping-up,’ would feel his sportsman- 
