70 AMERICAN GAME BIRD SHOOTING. 



tage, as you leave in a day or two. I thouglit at first we 

 might try our luck with the birds together, but, on con- 

 sidering the matter, I find that one of us will be deprived 

 of a portion of the pleasure, for both cannot work at the 

 same time, as somebody must hold the team while the 

 other shoots. Now this would be demanding too much 

 from our patience, so I have decided to send over for my 

 old friend Captain Blank, and ask him to join us for the 

 day. If he comes — and I know he will if he is not too 

 busy — I will take him as a partner, and we will try our 

 skill against you and Lucy for a pair of gloves all round. 

 We will have a team each, and as the dogs will follow 

 Lucy and obey her, you are to have two and we'll take 

 the other two. You may have your choice of the point- 

 ers or setters." 



The plan being most pleasing to me, I accepted it in 

 the promptest manner. Lucy's assent having also been 

 received, an invitation to join us Avas dispatched by a 

 mounted vaquero, or herder, to the Captain, and he re- 

 turned, in the course of an hour, bearing an affirmative 

 response. The preliminaries were then arranged, and it 

 was decided that I should have the basket phaeton and 

 pony belonging to Lucy, and the use of the pointers, 

 while they were to have the double team and the setters. 

 The parties were to separate after the first shot, each 

 work its own ground, and reunite about noon at a certain 

 point, to compare notes and partake of lunch. We were 

 awake at an early hour the next morning, but we had 

 scarcely descended to the breakfast-room before the Cap- 

 tain arrived on horseback, and being ushered in to the 

 rendezvous, I was introduced. When that brief cere- 

 mony was over, we settled down to a discussion of ham 

 and eggs, fragrant coffee, French rolls, and the sweetest 

 of butter. While the matutinal meal was being disposed 

 of, the event of the day became a matter of earnest dis- 

 cussion, and small wagers were joyously laid on the sue- 



