



WARWICK WOODLANDS. 29 



other cock ; but he's down in the meadow here, behind that 

 'ere stump alder !" 



" And I, three woodcock and one quail !" I chimed in, naught 

 abashed. 



u And Ay'se marked doon three woodcock two more be- 

 side yon big un, that measter Draa made siccan a bungle of 

 and all t' quail every feather on um doon i' t' bog meadow 

 yonner ooh ! but we'se mak grand sport o't!" interposed Tim, 

 now busily employed stringing bird after bird up by the head, 

 with loops and buttons in the game-bag ! 



u Well done then, all !" said Harry. " Nine timber-doodles 

 and five quail, and only one shot missed ! That's not bad shoot- 

 ing, considering what a hole it is to shoot in. Gentlemen, 

 here's your health," and filling himself out a fair sized wine- 

 glass-full of Ferintosh, into the silver cup of his dram-bottle, he 

 tossfd it off; and then poured out a similar libation for Tim 

 Matlock. Tom and myself, nothing loth, obeyed the hint, and 

 sipped our modicums of distilled waters out of our private 

 flasks. 



" Now, then," cried Archer, " let us pick up these scattering 

 birds. Tom Draw, you can get yours without a dog ! And 

 now, Tim, where are yours?" 



tk T' first lies oop yonner in yon boonch of brachens, ahint t' 

 big scarlet maple ; and t' other " 



u Well ! Til go to the first. You take Mr. Forester to the 

 other, and when we have bagged all three, we'll meet at the 

 bog meadow fence, and then hie at the bevy !" 



This job was soon done, for Draw and Harry bagged their 

 birds cleverly at the first rise ; and although mine got off at first 

 without a shot, by dodging round a birch tree straight in Tim's 

 face, and flew back slap toward the thicket, yet he pitched in its 

 outer skirt, and as he jumped up wild I cut him down with a 

 broken pinion and a shot through his bill at fifty yards, and 

 Chase retrieved him well. 



44 Cleverly stopped, indeed !" Frank halloaed ; " and by no 

 means an easy shot ! and so our work's clean done for this 

 place, at the least !" 



*' The boy can shoot some,"* observed Tom Draw, who loved 

 to bother Timothy; " the boy can shoot some, though he doos 

 come from Yorkshire !" 



" Gad ! and Ay wush Ay'd no but gotten thee i' Yorkshire, 

 measter Draa !" responded Tim. 



