tside of the Honham estate, where they
were liable to be poached by the farmers whose land marched, so George
enjoined them particularly not to let anything go.

Into the details of the sport that followed we need not enter, beyond
saying that the Colonel, to his huge delight, never shot better in his
life. Indeed, with the exception of one rabbit and hen pheasant that
flopped up right beneath his feet, he scarcely missed anything, though
he took the shots as they came. Edward Cossey also shot well, and with
one exception missed nothing, but then he never took a difficult shot
if he could avoid it. The exception was a woodcock which rose in front
of George, who was walking down an outside belt with the beaters. He
loosed two barrels at it and missed, and on it came among the tree
tops, past where Edward Cossey was standing, about half-way down the
belt, giving him a difficult chance with the first barrel and a clear
one with the second. Bang! bang! and on came the woodcock, now flying
low, but at tremendous speed, straight at the Colonel's head, a most
puzzling shot. However, he fired, and to his joy (and what joy is
there like to the joy of a sportsman who has just killed a woodcock
which everybody has been popping at?) down it came with a thump almost
at his feet.

This was their last beat before lunch, which was now to be seen
approaching down a lane in a donkey cart convoyed by Ida and the
Squire. The latter was advancing in stages of about ten paces, and at
every stage he stopped to utter a most fearful roar by way of warning
all and sundry that they were not to shoot in his direction. Edward
gave his gun to his bearer and at once walked off to join them, but
the Colonel went with George to look after two running cocks which he
had down, for he was an old-fashioned sportsman, and hated not picking
up his game. After some difficulty they found one of the cocks in the
hedgerow, but the other they could not find, so reluctantly they gave
up the search. When they got to the lane they found the luncheon
ready, while one of the beaters was laying out the game for the Squire
to inspect. There were fourteen pheasants, four brace and a half of
partridges, a hare, three rabbits, and a woodcock.

"Hullo," said the Squire, "who shot the woodcock?"

"Well, sir," said George, "we all had a pull at him, but the Colonel
wiped our eyes."

"Oh, Mr. Cossey," said Ida, in affected surprise, "why, I thought you
never missed /anyt