ming; but guns are sometimes heaved in this way over hedges
that have not been cropped for years. Then the gun suddenly appears in
the air, perhaps fifteen feet high, while the catch depends not only
upon the dexterity of the hand but the ear--to judge correctly where the
person who throws it is standing, as he is invisible.

The spaniels plunged in the brook among the flags, but though they made
a great splashing nothing came of it till we approached a marshy place
where was a pond. A moorhen then rose and scuttled down the brook, her
legs dragging along the surface some distance before she could get up,
and the sunshine sparkling on the water that dropped from her. I fired
and knocked her over: at the sound of the discharge a bird rose from the
low mound by the pond some forty yards ahead. My second barrel was empty
in an instant.

Both Orion's followed; but the distance, the intervening pollard
willows, or our excitement spoilt the aim. The woodcock flew off
untouched, and made straight away from the territories we could beat
into those that were jealously guarded by a certain keeper with whom
Farmer 'Willum' had waged war for years. 'Come on!' shouted Orion as
soon as he had marked the cock down in a mound two fields away. Throwing
him my gun, I leaped the brook; and we at first raced, but on second
thoughts walked slowly, for the mound. Running disturbs accuracy of
fire, and a woodcock was much too rare a visitor for the slightest
chance to be lost.

As we approached we considered that very probably the cock would either
lie close till we had walked past, and get up behind, or he would rise
out of gunshot. What we were afraid of was his making for the preserves,
which were not far off. So we tossed for the best position, and I lost.
I had therefore to get over on the side of the hedge towards the
preserves and to walk down somewhat faster than Orion, who was to keep
(on his side) about thirty yards behind. The object was to flush the
cock on his side, so that if missed the bird might return towards our
territories. In a double-mound like this it is impossible to tell what a
woodcock will do, but this was the best thing we could think of.

About half-way down the hedge I heard Orion fire both barrels in quick
succession--the mound was so thick I could not see through. The next
instant the cock came over the top of the hedge just above my head.
Startled at seeing me so close, he flew straight down along the summit