We  will  suppose  that  your  dogs  are  well  handled  and
steady,  and  that  there  is  a  fairly  good  scent,  a  breezy,
pleasant  day,  and  enough  birds  on  the  ground  to
reward  you  for  hard  work  and  good  shooting,  while
— for  it  is  the  object  of  this  work  to  assist,  if  pos-
sible, those  who  have  something  to  learn — you  are
alongside  a  man  who  is  much  your  superior,  possibly
a  past  master  of  the  art.  The  first  thing  to  note  care-
fully and  incessantly  is  the  wind.  This  you  must
bear  in  mind  all  the  time  ;  otherwise,  when  you  see  a
point,  you  will  be  quite  at  sea  as  to  where  the  birds
are  likely  to  be  lying.  There  is  no  doubt  that  a
wind  blowing  across  the  ground  you  are  beating  is
altogether  the  best  ;  and  supposing  that  you  have
as  your  allotted  beat  the  long  'face'  of  a  hill,  with
cultivated  ground  or  pasture  along  the  lower  side,  and
the  march  on  or  just  over  the  ridge  on  the  upper,  with
the  wind  blowing  downwards,  it  will  be  best  to  begin
at  the  bottom,  and  work  across  and  across  till  you
have'  beaten  the  whole  face,  and  pushed  all  the  birds


io6  SHOOTING    THE   GROUSE

possible  forward.  You  will  thus  drive  them  mostly  on
to  some  stretch  of  lower  ground  beyond,  which  will
give  you  probably  your  best  sport  towards  evening.
