Hunt, Henry, 1773-1835; Social reformers -- Great Britain -- Biography
My friend and myself, attended by our servants, mounted our horses, and as
we rode along we passed two or three parties who were on foot, and who had
got the start of us; but we soon reached farmer Edward Vezey's, of Grove,
upon whose farm we intended to take our day's sport. As we had ridden a
distance of four or five miles the sun was now up, and as we heard several
shots fired we put up our horses and proceeded immediately to the field;
being too eager sportsmen to wait to take the breakfast which Mrs. Vezey
had prepared for us. The farmer informed us that the game was very
plentiful; and when we entered the first stubble field, we saw a nide of
fourteen pheasants run into the hedge row. This was a fine earnest of our
sport; and as I had never before been a shooting where they were so
plenty, I expressed great anxiety to begin the slaughter without delay.
The farmer, however, checked my ardour, and increased my surprise when he
told me that he had ten such nides upon his farm. The sport began; and,
having a double barrelled gun, I killed a brace, a cock and a hen; my
friend and the farmer both missed. The latter requested me not to kill
hens, as he would procure me plenty of shots at cocks. We had with us my
dogs, which were staunch and steady, and they were now pointing again. I
brought down a brace of cocks with another double shot. My friends both
missed again, and laughed heartily at each other; particularly when they
found that I was sure to kill enough for all the party. As we proceeded I
killed a leash more, so that I had three brace and a half out of the first
nide of fourteen. Several of the others had been marked down, and the
farmer said we were sure to find them all again; but I proposed to look
for fresh birds, instead of following those which had escaped. This was
agreed to; and, at the further end of the very next field which we
entered, we discovered another set running into the hedge row. When ten
o'clock arrived I proposed a cessation of hostilities, that we might
retire and take some breakfast; for I declared that I was ashamed to kill
any more. I had had twenty shots, and had bagged nine brace and a half of
cocks and one hen pheasant; having been lucky enough, as my dogs brought
all their game, to save every bird without a feather being scarcely
rumpled. My friends had thirty shots between them, and had killed one
bird; in fact, they were altogether as bad shots as I was a good
one.--Though, during the whole time, we had not been a quarter of a mile
from the house, yet, I believe that while I was out, I heard at least a
hundred shots fired--so thickly were we surrounded with the rotten borough
sportsmen and their friends. After this we returned to the farmer's house,
where Mrs. Vezey had provided an excellent breakfast, not only for us but
for my dogs, which were caressed as prodigies; and the game, consisting of
ten brace of cock pheasants and a hen, was spread in triumph on the floor.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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