l with a long tail
attached, came whizzing along. Major Stuart fired--a bad miss. Then he
wheeled round, took good aim, and down came a mass of feathers,
whirling, until it fell motionless on the ground.

"Well hit!" Macleod cried; but at the same moment he became conscious
that he had better mind his own business, for there was another whirring
sound, and then he saw this rapidly enlarging object coming straight at
him. He fired, and shot the bird dead; but so rapid was its flight that
he had to duck his head as the slain bird drove past his face and
tumbled on to the ground behind him.

"This is rather like firing at bomb-shells," he called out to Lord
Beauregard.

It was certainly a new experience for Macleod to figure as a novice in
any matter connected with shooting; but both the major and he speedily
showed that they were not unfamiliar with the use of a gun. Whether the
birds came at them like bomb-shells, or sprung like a sky-rocket through
the leafless branches, they met with the same polite attention; though
occasionally one would double back on the beaters and get clear away,
sailing far into the silver-clear sky. Lord Beauregard scarcely shot at
all, unless he was fairly challenged by a bird flying right past him: he
seemed quite content to see his friends having plenty of work; while, in
the interest of the beaters, he kept calling out, in a high monotone,
"Shoot high! shoot high!" Then there was some motion among the
brushwood; here and there a man or boy appeared; and finally the
under-keeper with his retriever came across the stream to pick up the
dead birds.

That bit was done with: _vorwarts!_

"Well, Stuart," Macleod said, "what do you think of it? I don't see
anything murderous or unsportsmanlike in this kind of shooting. Of
course shooting with dogs is much prettier; and you don't get any
exercise standing in a wet field; but the man who says that shooting
those birds requires no skill at all--well, I should like see him try."

"Macleod," said the major, gravely, as they plodded along, "you may
think that I despise this kind of thing; but I don't: I give you my
solemn word of honor that I don't. I will even go the length of saying
that if Providence had blessed me with L20,000 a year, I should be quite
content to own a bit of country like this. I played the part of the wild
mountaineer last night, you know; that was all very well--"

Here there was a loud call from Lord Beauregard, who had o