1 86 The Grouse Family 



Still I failed to divine his drift, but the next 

 chicken brought light. The shot was a square, 

 crossing chance and, to my amazement, the slow- 

 bird flew straight ahead — clean missed ! In- 

 stantly I knew the gun had been too far ahead, 

 and then there came the proper translation of the 

 colonel's remark — he had been fearful of just 

 what had happened, and he had tried to convey 

 as much to me without going beyond what he 

 considered the limit of strict fairness. I stole a 

 glance at him and saw that his face was very red, 

 and that the white mustache was bristling in a 



marvellous fashion. M killed his next bird, 



which placed him one ahead, and there was no 

 mistaking his sneering expression as he glanced 

 at his friend. 



On the instant came the remembrance of the 

 colonel's warning against allowing him to get the 

 lead, and I realized that the match might possi- 

 bly be lost through a bit of sheer folly. There 

 and then came the grim resolve to let daylight 

 in abundance through every succeeding fowl that 

 offered. The next one got it squarely in the 

 back at about twenty-five yards and the works of 

 it flew to the four winds of heaven. The next 

 was mashed to a pulp, and the next would hardly 

 hold together. " That's the right way to kill 

 chickens — meat don't count in a match ! " re- 

 marked the colonel, and from then on I under- 



