THE CHESTNTUT MERCHANT. HAPPY HUNTING GROUNDS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXI, Issue 18891, 13 December 1924, Page 4 (Supplement)

THE CHESTNTUT MERCHANT.

HAPPY HUNTING GROUNDS.

HICKS TO THE RESCUE.

In " Chestnuts Re-roasted " (Cornstalk

Publishing Company) the compiler, Seymour Hicks, proceeds in the introduction . to disarm any possible criticism of the fare he offers. " Once a story appears in type," ho explains, " it becomes dead as •a novelty or as an original thing, and can thorefore never again be repeated in the club lounge, where married men seek rest and recreation. This being so, can the compiling of such a work as ' Chestnuts Kc-roasted' bo anything but a noble effort?" But while it is certainly true that some of the jokes given are far too old to be still on active service, many others arc quito lusty striplings. Tlie encounter between Geo. Grossmith sen. and Charles Brookfield deserves t<s bo put on record. The former, who made a fortune as a societv entertainer, was bragging one night of his success. " You see," he said, " you fellows in the theatres are obliged to have a play, a production. ;ind a company to support, you. while I have made thirty-three thousand pounds in one season with only a piano and a dress suit." " Probably," said Brookfield, who was smarting over an unsuccessful season at tho Haymarket, " but we don't all Took so d— funny in a dross suit." There is a good story of Bernard Shaw (whoso cynical views upon women are well known) and the famous actress, Mrs. Patrick Campbell. "So von are a vegetarian, Mr. Shaw?" said Mrs. Pat. "I am," said Shaw. " Thru," said Mrs. Pat, ,: all I can soy is Heaven help the women of England if ever you eat a chop!" VV. S. Gilbert is a mine for the chestnutpicker (a3 the metaphor-mixer would put it). His remark upon Deeming, the niur- I derer, who buried his wives under the hearthstone, was " Dear, dear, a strange jnan, this Deeming. He seems to have made a hobby of marrying in haste and cementing at leisure." And this from Pett Ridge is delightful. Two shop girls were overheard discussing what present one should give her mother on her birthday. " I know," said the friend, brightly, " give her a book." ' ''Don't be silly." said the other, witheringly, " she's got one." As might be expected from a famous actor, tnany of his stories deal with the •<tag?i and for an implied criticism of 1 he American crook mystery plays tho following stands alone. One night a playgoer became so irritated at the end of the second act that after having suspected everyone m the play of being a burglar, from the hostess of sixty to the servant «>f sixteen, he dashed to the bar, saying, Here, miss, as quick as you like, let mo have a double and a small soda, and I don t care a d—if you're The Bat " AS\£*s££t by Aneus and

ROD AND RIFLE IN MANY

LANDS.

Modern warfare has somewhere beer described as consisting of long periods ol unutterable boredom punctuated by short moments of extreme terror. Major P. M Stewart, author of "Round the Work l With Rod and Rifle" (Thornton Butterworth), does not deny that in his special form of warfare lie has had his moments of terror, but boredom is happily unknown to this lucky enthusiast, who can indulge to the full his passion for sport. travel and adventure. Seven times in 20 years Major Stewart has girdled the globe, and this handsome book, well illustrated by photographs and drawings by Caton Woodville, records in a charmingly modest and unaffected style the story of those rears. In an interesting introduction. Colonel Sleeman deprecates the, hostile attitude of some modern sentimotiilists to the hunting of big game. People who talk of the

cruelty to animals involved forget that death from a rifle bulfot is merciful compared to the fate of an animal spared to grow old and weak. Wild life knows no pity for helplessness, and "the aged beast starves to death or falls a prey to the carnivora" —there is no such a thing as a peaceful or a painless end for wild animals. He admits that much may be said against the kind cf persons who "make luxurious tours into the more accessible game countries, slaughter as much wild life as possible—or get their assistants to do so—and then hurry home to record their prowess in books six times as long as their journey." This objectionable type is far removed from a true sportsman such as Major Stewart. The headings 01 the chapters—''Rhinoceros Hunting in Rhodesia," "Some Experiences with Tarpon Man-eating Lions," | "Tarpon-fishing in Mexico," "Crocodile- ; shooting in Central Africa," "Shark-fishing ' in the Pacific," arid so on —will give some ' idea of the range of Major Stewart's experience, while of particular interest to New Zeaianders are the lively accounts of deer-stalking and pig-hunting in Otago, trout-fishing in many places (with generous praise of its quality and cheapness) and the pursuit of swordfish, king- : fish, and sharks m the Bay of Islands. Major Stewart is amused and scandalised by tbe casual an d democratic methods of deerstalking in New Zealand. At Home this sport is confined to the wealthy few, and is undo rtakon only aader expert guidance, rather in the spirit . recommended by the Prayer Book for cuatrimony, "soberly, discreetly." and so forth. It is easy, therefore, to imagine his astonishment at seeing one sportsman " sally forth on a white pony, whistling loudly and apparently expecting the stags to come and feed out of his hand." Though an ardent fisherman, Maj or Stewart obviously lacks one qualification for the sport, (reorge Washington himself could not be more scrupulous in regard to weights and measures, so that when we read of the capture in Mexico of saw-fish (not swordfish) weighing over 50001b., wo are ready to swallow the story as readily as the fish apparently swallows its own offspring; for when one was tut open there were nine little ones all alive and kicking. eEch 2ift. lone and armed with a 9in. saw. Jonah would he a treat after a mouthful lik* that! /