THE ANCIENT EAST

gunis kept down and the arms down the rabbit remains still; the instant the arms are lifted to point the gun up hesits, or off be
goes. You have only to point your arm at a rook, without any gun, to frighten him. Bird keepersinstinctively raise their arms
above their heads, when shouting to startle birds. Every creature that has everwatched man knows that his arms are
dangerous. The poacher or wild hunter has to conceal his arms byreducing their movments to a minimum, and by conducting
those movements as slowly as possible. To thoroughly appreciate the importance which animals of all kinds put on the motions
of the upper limbs,and to put one’s self quite in their position, one has only to recall to mind the known trick of
the Australian bushrangers. Bail up is their order when they suddenly produce their revolvers; Bail up theyshout to the clerks
of the bank they are about to sack, to the inmates of a house,or to the travellers they meeton the road. Hold your arms above
your head is the meaning; and, if it is not immediately obeyed, they fire. They know that every man has a pistol in his pocket or
belt; but he cannot use it if compelled to keep his armshigh over his head. One or more of the band keep a sharp look out on the
upheld arms while the rest plunder;and, if any are lowerd bang like the animals, they know the extreme danger to be
apprehended frommovements of the human arms. So long as the human arms are bailed (though in this case an
oppositedirection, i. held down), animals are not afraid. Could they make us bail up, we should be helpless toinjure them.
Moving his arms as gently as possible, with the elbows close to his sides, the poacher proceeds toslowly push his rod and wire
loop towards the basking jack. If he were going to shoot partridges at roost on the ground, he would raise his gun in an equally
slow and careful manner. As a partridge is a small bird, andstands at about a shilling in the poacher’s catalongue, he does not
care to risk a shot at one, but likes to getseveral at once. This be can do in the spring, when the birds have paird and remain so
near together, andagain in the latter part of the summer, when the coveys are large, not having yet been much broken up by
thesportsmen. These large coveys, having enjoyed an immunity from disturbance all through the summer,wandering at their
own will among clover and corn, are not at all difficult to approach, and a shot at themthrough a gap in a hedge will often
bring down four or Later on the poacher takes them at roost. Theyroost on the ground in a circle, heads outwards, muc in the
same position as the eggs of a lapwing. The spotis marked; and at night, having crept up near enough, the poacher fires at the
spot itself rather than at thebirds, with a gun loaded with a moderate charge of powder, but a large quantity of shot, that it
may spradwide. On moderately light nights be can succeed at this gams. It is in raising the arms to point the gun that therisck
of alarming the birds has to be met; and so with a hare sitting in a form in daytime. Lift your armssuddenly, and away she
goes; keep your arms still, and close to your side, and she will sit till you have creptup actually to her very side, and can
pounce on her if you choose.Sometimes, where fish have not been disturbed by poachers, or loafers throwing stones and
otherwiseannoying them, they will not heed a passer by, whose gentle walk or saunter does not affright them with
briskemotion, especially if the saunterer, on espying them, in no degree alters his pac or changes his manner. Thatwild
creatures immediately detect a change of manner, and therefore of mood any one may demonstrate forhimself They are as
quick to see it as the dog, who is always with his master, and knows by the very way heputs a book on the table what temper
he is in. When a book goes with a bang on the table the dog creeps underit. Wild creatures, too, catch their manners form man.
Walk along a lane with your hands in your pockets, andyou will see twice as much of the birds and animals, because they will
not set themselves to steadfastly watchyou. A quick movement sets wings quickly beating. I have noticed that even horses in
stables do not like visitors with jerky, brisk, angular ways of moving. A stranger entering in a quiet, easy manner is not
veryobjectionable, but if he comes in in a bustling, citizen like style, it is quite probable that one or other horsewill show a
wicked white corner in his eye. It roughs them up the wrong way. Especially all wild creaturesdislike the shuffling, mincing
step so common in towns. That alone will disturb everything. Indeed, I haveoften thought that a good and successful wild
hunter like the backwoods. Man, or the sportsman in Africanbush or Indian jungle is really made as much by his feet as his
eyes or bands. Unconsciously be feels with hisfeet; they come to know the exact time to move, whether a long or shot stribe be
desirable, and where to putdown, not to rustle or cause a cracking sound, and accommodate themselves to the slope of the
ground,touching it and holding it like hands. A great many people seem to have no feet; they have boots, but no feet.They
stamp or clump, or swing their boots along and knock the ground at every step; this matters not in mostcallings, but if a man
wish to become what I have called a wild hunter, he must let his feet learn. He mustwalk with hands in his boots. Now and
then a person walks like this naturally, and he will come in and tellyou the he has seen a fish basking, a partridge, a hare, or
what not, when another never gets near anything.This is where they have not been much disturbed by loafers, who are worse
the poachers.As a rule, poachers are intermittent in their action, and the do not want do disturb the game, as it makes itwild
and interferes with their profits. Loafers are not intermittent they are always about, often in gangs, anddestroy other sports
without having any themselves. Near large towns there are places where the fish have tobe protected with hurdles thrown

CHAPTER 1330