A Cockney's Goose.

Te Aroha News, Volume V, Issue 218, 3 September 1887, Page 7

A Cockney's Goose.

Amoxu.vt a collection of anecdo es of sport and spotting lately published by an English spotting journal occurs the following amubing story : — There nre a good many tale 3 about the exploits ot cockney sports men, while Mr Winkle's efforts in gunnery have at all times afforded much amusement to readers of Chronicles of the Picknick Club. These, as a rule, are tales of [sports men who, when loading, put the charge of lead in first, or who when they had managed to load all right, could not hit a haystack ; in fact, were much more dangerous to their fiiends than to the biids they had come out to slaughter. The follouing, however, is a story of a cockney sportsman who really could shoot, being, in short, considered a dead shot at anything of the game kind, particularly at geese, vihich he could hit just, at the back of the eye if they came within range of his fowling-piece. A few seasons ago, our hero, after having, with a congenial fiiend, spent the day out on the moons with dogs and guns, was homewaids bound, when, in the evening twilight, the neck of a goose peering through a fence was descried. '• Hush !" "whispered the dead shot, as he quietly drew his gun up to take aim. "See if I don't hit him at the back of the eye," and then blazed away. " A' hat the devil aie you shooting at?'' said feomeone behind them. " I'll be dashed if you haven't "been and blown one of the handles off my new plough !"' And so he had, safe enough ; but the worst of it was ho never heard the last of that feat, and the simple question, "If he hit many birda at the back of the eye now," was sure to evoke from this &portf=man a flow of blasphemy.