92 WILD FOWL SHOOTING. 
you want me to go with you, I will promise to stay with 
you as long as my shells last.” 
“ Very well, we will start in the morning about eight. 
It’s only two hours drive, and that will give us all the 
time we want. How’s that setter of yours—any good?” 
“Any good! Well, now, that’s a nice question to 
ask. ‘ Any good!’ I should remark that he was. Why, 
my dear man, that dog cost me one hundred dollars, 
besides expressage. His grandfather was Old Rufus, a 
dog that—” 
“Oh! let up! What do I care about his grandfather. 
What I want to know is, whether he will work close, 
stand staunchly, and retrieve ?” 
“If that’s what you want to know, he won’t re- 
trieve ; wasn’t brought up that way; won’t work close ; 
wouldn’t have a dog that would. But for beingstaunch ! 
I want to tell you what he did one day. When I was 
in Western Iowa last—” 
“That settles it! If your dog won’t retrieve, we don't 
want him. As for what your dog did in Western lowa— 
save that, and tell it at the Club. They will probably 
be pleased to hear it. What gun are you going to 
take? ” 
“Think I will take my ten and one-half 1b. hammer- 
less ten-gauge. She’s a dandy, full choke, extra close, 
and at forty yards, with five drams powder, I can—” 
“Tt don’t make any difference to me what you can 
do at forty yards. You don’t take that gun. That's 
your duck gun; and if you were to follow me for three 
hours, lugging that cannon, your wife wouldn’t know 
you. Why, man, you will be half the time in mud up 
to your knees, and the weight of that gun, with shells, 
would just about break your back, and paralyze your 
