'"Cock forrard, cock forrard!" comes the cry again, an' grandfeythor
grips a firmer stand wiv his feet, an' grasps his weapon a bit tighter
than before. Bang, bang! this time, an' the cock gies a frightful
lurch as though about to fall headlong, but steadies hissel', rises a
bit, an' wins over to the other side.
'"H----!" yells grandfeythor, trembling wi' rage, an' stamps upon the
ground. "Cock forrard, cock forrard!" again comes the beater's cry,
an' half a dozen come flightin' overhead at once.
'Bang! once again, an' grandfeythor wiv a groan flings his gun to the
ground, for he had missed altogether that time.
'"I'm fair bewitched," he cries, and aal the while the pheasants were
streamin' overhead.
'He trembled aal over, an' we thought he was gannin' to have a fit,
for his brow was damp wi' drops o' sweat, an' his eye wild an' glassy.
"Thoo damned fellow," he cries, glancing round at Smithson, an' takes
a step towards him, "thoo's cozened me somehow, thoo must have
poisoned my beer!" he yells.
'"Steady, sir, for God's sake, steady!" says the keeper in his ear,
an' offers him his gun again ready loaded for another shot, for aal
the while the pheasants came liftin' above their heads.
'Well, he takes it up again, looks at it an' feels as though he didn't
recognise it, as though it had injured him somehow, an', tremblin' aal
over, takes up a stand again. After a shot or two he kills one in
beautiful style, an' gradually getting back a bit o' confidence he
gets warmed up, an' at the finish he has seventy-five oot o' the
hundred--oot o' the last twenty never missin' one.
'And noo it was Smithson's turn.
'He makes a splendid start, wipin' up the first fifteen birds wivvoot
an error; after that again the pheasants come wilder, an' gettin'
flurried belike, he tailors them. Then he gets steadied once more, an'
at the finish has ten cartridges left an' seventy birds doon.
'A wunnerfu' chap for nerve he was, was Smithson; the mair excitement
the cooler he gets.
'A hen pheasant comes sailin' awa' to the right some sixty yards off.
'"In shot?" asked he, as though he were passin' the time o' day.
'"Shoot," cries the referee, an' ping, ping! gans two cartridges, but
he cannot stop her, she was ower far off, though she left a trail o'
feathers ahint her.
'He gets another fearfu' hard one to the left this time, an' it takes
two cartridges to settle number seventy-one--six cartridges left an'
five birds to bag.
'Wow! but the excitement was painfu', an' folks fell to bettin' i'
quick whispers, "Two to one against Smithson," an' he takes it wiv a
nod, smilin' if you please.
'The next three he gets, then he misses a longish shot, two cartridges
left an' two birds to knock doon.
'Here they come--two cocks high together overhead--be-eauties; suthin'
seems wrang wi' trigger or cartridge, an' Smithson misses first
barrel.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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