pace and sailed away. Then, looking out again, there was a pair
of ears in the grass not ten yards distant: a rabbit had come out at
last. But the first delight was quickly over: the ears were short and
sharply pointed, and almost pinkly transparent.

What would the shepherd say if I brought home one of his hated enemies
no bigger than a rat? The young rabbit made waiting still more painful,
being far enough from the hedge to get a clear view into the recess if
anything attracted his notice. Why the shepherd hated rabbits was
because the sheep would not feed where they had worn their runs in the
grass. Not the least movement was possible now--not even that little
shifting which makes a position just endurable: the heat seemed to
increase; the thought of Ulysses could hardly restrain the almost
irresistible desire to stir.

When, suddenly, there was a slight rustling among the boughs of an oak
in the other hedge, as of wings against twigs: it was a woodpigeon,
better game than a rabbit. He would, I knew, first look round before he
settled himself to preen his feathers on the branch, and, if everything
was still while that keen inspection lasted, would never notice me. This
is their habit--and the closer you are underneath them the less chance
of their perceiving you: for a pigeon perched rarely looks straight
downwards. If flying, it is just the reverse; for then they seem to see
under them quicker than in any other direction.

Slowly lifting the long barrel of the gun--it was fortunate the sunlight
glancing on the bright barrel was not reflected towards the oak--I got
it to bear upon the bird; but then came a doubt. It was all
eight-and-twenty yards across the angle of the meadow to the oak--a
tremendous long shot under the circumstances. For they would not trust
us with the large copper powder-flask, but only with a little
pistol-flask (it had belonged to the pair of pistols we tried to find),
and we were ordered not to use more than a charge and a half at a time.
That was quite enough to kill blackbirds. (The noise of the report was
always a check in this way; such a trifle of powder only made a slight
puff.)

Shot there was in plenty--a whole tobacco-pipe bowl full, carefully
measured out of the old yellow canvas money-bag that did for a shot
belt. A starling could be knocked off the chimney with this charge
easily, and so could a blackbird roosting in a bush at night. But a
woodpigeon nearly thirty yards distant