THE TOPIC OF THE DAY.

Manawatu Herald, Volume VII, Issue 264, 3 May 1889, Page 2

THE TOPIC OF THE DAY.

Had ranch sport lately? , TiWOwpqiy^ns cannot meet without tb»» enqafcjtetauig . made. If one has been not, Wwill p\o* oq a weakly smile and answer, .* Oh yea • just for a while." If he it pushed as td the resnlt, he will believe that it is given . to c.v > eity> ) man to prevaricate sometimes, . and writ believe that bin time has now come. Bhooting is splendid sport, splen* did, but more on the birds aide than tbe shootiots. Fancy the jokes the pigeons tee, every time a " sport " drag* himself through tbe bash. They will notice , that he ?s "got up" for the occasion, heavy boots, gaiters, game bag over tbe shoulder, a flask projecting out of a pocket, and a tegular powder factory round his chest. He commence* hiaday with the utmost eageruogtr, waikioi) at tbe rate of five miles an liom, casually glancing at the trees as he makes for the place where pigeons are to be bad for the plucking. Having arrived at rbii point be is gladdened by seeing one sleepy, headed fellow up on a tree, where it looks handy to get at, " Ab, I thought we should find them here," he ejaculates, and grasping his gun firmly in his right hand, with his left along the barrels > ready to chock the niece into \> >Mtien, fV-i v start* to slay that bird. Unfortunately f •,• •'-; the track is up a ridge which cur^efl di^-f ; ferently to what he expected, no th\at ? when arriving opposite the tree the '. . : pigeon is on, he finds tbat the posi'ion U bad, and a descent into the bush to g«t . under tbe tree will be necessary. Before darting down he notices the tail feathers ! of a pigeon moving, so tbat no time must ' be lost, therefore lie hastens at a greater ' pace tban is wise, and lands at the bottom of the ridge topay turvy, with hip gun at some distance from him, with both barrels choked witb sand. He finds that after adjusting himself and scrambling through supplejacks and .' other underwood, that the pigeon has enjoyed the fun mo much, that he bad to go to tell tbe others. " Better luck next ; " time." be remarks, and so he has. A pigeon of the sleepiest naiureis at last , espidd, and out shoutiit, who is provided ' ' with one of tbe finest choke' bore pieces ' procurable, determines he will have this '■- fellow somehow, and by creeping car 1 * fally up behind, lets fly the choke bo. c at him. He hit him,, there can b£ no .■■/■, doubt about that, hut the watchipg" ; r" .pifeeonf,nea.i ly tumbled off their boughs* f however they regretted tiitir •MtopanioaV sad fate, when the* at iced the sportsman trying to rind the pigeon be had/ ! \ shot. There he wat, look ! o«( all around, high up, low down, but nut » pigeon was there anywhere — at /a t an exclamation assured them that eomethiug had been ■ ;> found, and lo and behold, there was' the sportsman holding bet wet v his finger and thumb, the two leg*, the backbone, and half the head of a pigeon, tbe force of the rhokebore had carried tbe inride ar.d the balance beyond the ken of man. With tbis trophy hanging at the end of his gnu, our fhootist, as the day s drawing in, has to make bis way along -.:. tbe weary miles to his home for th» . night. - '^