hills.
I tell her she shouldn't go on these long excursions without taking old
Robert with her; supposing she were to sprain her ankle, she might have
to remain there all night and half the next day before we could find
her. Sooner or later I know she'll startle some solitary shepherd out of
his senses: he'll come back to his hut swearing that he has seen a Gray
Lady where no mortal woman could be. Hullo, there's Waveney again--he'll
soon be on them."

They could see him stealing across the top of the hillock, and then
making his way down behind certain rocks that served as a screen between
him and the birds. Then he disappeared again.

"Why doesn't he fire?" Lionel asked, presently. "He must be quite close
to them."

"Not so close as you imagine," was the answer. "Probably he is waiting
until they come nearer together."

The next moment there stepped boldly forth the slight, brown figure; the
birds instantly rose from the water and, with swift, straight flight,
made down the valley; but they had not got many yards when there were
two white puffs of smoke, both birds almost simultaneously came tumbling
to the ground, and then followed the double report of a gun.

"Waveney has got his eye in to-day for certain," Sir Hugh said. "But
what's the use of his bringing the birds along?--they're no good to
anybody."

"I thought perhaps they might be of some use for salmon-flies," Captain
Waveney explained, as he came up. "Aren't they, Roderick?"

The keeper regarded the two birds contemptuously, and shook his head.

"Well, Waveney, we will give you five minutes' grace, if you like," Sir
Hugh said. "Sit down and have a pipe."

But this slim and wiry warrior had not even taken the gun from his
shoulder.

"No, no," said he, "if you are ready, I am. I can get plenty of smoking
done in the South."

So they began again; but the afternoon was now on the wane, and the
beats were leading them homewards. Only two small incidents that befell
the novice need mentioning. The first happened in this wise: the dogs
were ranging widely over what appeared to be rather a barren beat, when
suddenly one of them came to a dead point a considerable distance on. Of
course Captain Waveney and Sir Hugh hurried forward; but Lionel could
not, for he had got into trouble with a badly jammed cartridge. Just as
he heard the first shot fired, he managed to get the empty case
extracted and to replace it with a full one; and then he was about to