Page:Christmas Fireside Stories.djvu/90

 78 A Day with the Capercailzies. and it isn't difficult to find his tracks and signs of his reckless shooting, for he can never watt, like other folk?, till the birds have had a good start at their play." " I dåre say/* said the captain, and twirled his mousfcaches, "it isn't the first time he is shooting in preserved grounds. But tell tne, was it he who shot that goblin-hare down by Christiania, which you told me about once?" " Oh, that hare i No, that was a professional shot from those parts called Brandte-Lars. You must know him, surely, since you are from Christiania ? " said Peter, addressing himself to me. No, I did not kno,w him. under the hill just below Grefsen. I met him once in Halland, when he was out shooting with some swells from town. Heisa queer fellow, but a good shot. He never misses his hare, and shoots flying just like the captain here. But about that hare the ca otain spoke of. He told me all about that and much more." " ' I was going out one day for old Simonsen in the Market place,' he said, 'to try and get him some game. We had three hounds ; one of them called Rap, over which the evil spirits had no power, because he was red, you must know ; the other two were pretty decent hounds. Well, it was one morning early in the spring,' said Lars, * that I started for Linderudsæter, where I slipped Rap, and he was soon in full cry and made the hillside ring. I posted myself near a place where they had been burning charcoal, and very soon the hare came running past, close to where I was standing. I missed, and away they went again in full cry after the hare. Before long he came past the same place again ; he was qu ; te black along the back- — I missed again. " ' Buthowisallthis?"saidIto myself. ' Won't the other dogs acknowledge the scent too ? ' for it was only Rap who was after the hare. * No, this can't be a real hare ; but I must have another loofc at him. VVell, he came past for the third time, and I missed him again, sure enough. Both the dogs were close by me, but they didn't take the sTightest notice of him. But then I took a charm and put in the gun,' he said.
 * What ! you don't know him ? Why, he lives in a small cottage