The four dead partridges—­there was not a runner among them—­having been collected amidst many congratulations, we went on and were punted across the lake to the covert.  As we entered the boat I observed that, in addition to the great bags, Charles was carrying a box of cartridges under his arm, and asked him where he got it from.

He replied, from Mr. Popham—­that was the gunsmith’s name—­who had brought it with him in case I should not have enough.  I made no remark, but as I knew I had quite half of my cartridges left out of the three hundred and fifty that I had bought, I wondered to myself what kind of a shoot this was going to be.

Well, we took up our stands, and while we were doing so, suddenly the wind increased to a tearing gale, which seemed to me to blow from all points of the compass in turn.  Rooks flying homewards, and pigeons disturbed by the beaters were swept over us like drifting leaves; wild duck, of which I got one, went by like arrows; the great bare oaks tossed their boughs and groaned; while not far off a fir tree was blown down, falling with a splash into the water.

“It’s a wild afternoon,” said Lord Ragnall, and as he spoke Van Koop came from his stand, looking rather scared, and suggested that the shoot should be given up.

Lord Ragnall asked me what I wished to do.  I replied that I would rather go on, but that I was in his hands.

“I think we are fairly safe in these open places, Sir Junius,” he said; “and as the pheasants have been so much disturbed already, it does not much matter if they are blown about a bit.  But if you are of another opinion, perhaps you had better get out of it and stand with the others over the lake.  I’ll send for my guns and take your place.”

On hearing this Van Koop changed his mind and said that he would go on.

So the beat began.  At first the wind blew from behind us, and pheasants in increasing numbers passed over our heads, most of them rather low, to the guns on the farther side of the water, who, skilled though they were, did not make very good work with them.  We had been instructed not to fire at birds going forward, so I let these be.  Van Koop, however, did not interpret the order in the same spirit, for he loosed at several, killing one or two and missing others.

“That fellow is no sportsman,” I heard Lord Ragnall remark.  “I suppose it is the bet.”

Then he sent Charles to ask him to desist.

Shortly after this the gale worked round to the north and settled there, blowing with ever-increasing violence.  The pheasants, however, still flew forward in the shelter of the trees, for they were making for the covert on the hill, where they had been bred.  But when they got into the open and felt the full force of the wind, quite four out of six of them turned and came back at a most fearful pace, many so high as to be almost out of shot.