The tail of the procession was brought up by
a gillie leading, or rather holding in, two brace of remarkably handsome
Gordon setters, and another gillie in charge of a patient-eyed pony with
a couple of panniers slung over its back.
However, the busy work of the day soon banished these idle regrets. When
they had climbed a bit of the hillside, and passed through a gate in a
rude stone wall, they stopped for a second to put cartridges in their
guns; the keeper had two of the dogs uncoupled; while the gillie,
putting a strap on the coupling of the other two, led them away to a
convenient knoll, where he lay down, the gillie with the pony following
his example. And scarcely had the two dogs begun to work this open bit
of moorland when one of them suddenly ceased its wide ranging--suddenly
as if it had been turned to stone; and then slowly, slowly it began to
draw forward, its companion, a younger dog, backing beautifully and
looking on with startled, watchful eyes. It was an anxious moment for
the famous young baritone of the New Theatre; for the dog was right in
front of him; and as the three guns, in line, stealthily moved forward,
he made sure that this bird was going to get up just before him.
Pages:
215
216
217
218
219
220
221
222
223
224
225
226
227
228
229
230
231
232
233
234
235
236
237
238
239