

WARWICK WOODLANDS. 31 



the high tussocks. See ! the red dog straightens his neck, and 

 snuffs the air. 



" Look to ! look to, Frank ! they are close before old Chase !" 



Now he draws on again, crouching close to the earth. "Toho! 

 Shot !" Now he stands ! no ! no ! not yet at least he is not 

 certain ! He turns his head to catch his master's eye ! Now 

 his stern moves a little; he draws on again. 



There ! he is sure now ! what a picture his black full eye 

 intently glaring, though he cannot see any thing in that thick 

 mass of herbage ; his nostril wide expanded, his lips slavering 

 from intense excitement; his whole form motionless, and sharply 

 drawn, and rigid, even to the straight stern and lifted foot, as a 

 block wrought to mimic life by some skilful sculptor's chisel ; 

 and, scarce ten yards behind, his liver-colored comrade backs 

 him as firm, as stationary, as immovable, but in his attitude, 

 how different ! Chase feels the hot scent steaming up under his 

 very nostril ; feels it in every nerve, and quivers with anxiety 

 to dash on his prey, even while perfectly restrained and steady. 

 Shot, on the contrary, though a few minutes since he too was 

 drawing, knows nothing of himself, perceives no indication of 

 the game's near presence, although improved by discipline, his 

 instinct tells him that his mate has found them. Hence the 

 same rigid form, stiff' tail, and constrained attitude, but in his 

 face for dogs have faces there is none of that tense energy, 

 that evident anxiety ; there is no frown upon his brow, no glare 

 in his mild open eye, no slaver on his lip ! 



44 Come up, Tom ; come up, Frank, they are all here ; we 

 must get in six barrels ; they will not move : come up, I say !" 



And on we came, deliberately prompt, and ready. Now we 

 were all in line : Harry the centre man, I on the right, and Tom 

 on the left hand. The attitude of Archer was superb ; his legs, 

 set a little way apart, as firm as if they had been rooted in the 

 soil ; his form drawn back a little, and his head erect, with his 

 eye fixed upon the dogs ; his gun held in both hands, across 

 his person, the muzzle slightly elevated, his left grasping the 

 trigger guard ; the thumb of the right resting upon the hammer, 

 and the fore-finger on the trigger of the left hand barrel ; but, 

 as he had said, neither cocked. " Fall back, Tom, if you please, 

 five yards or so," he said, as coolly as if he were unconcerned, 

 " and you come forward, Frank, as many ; I want to drive them 

 to the left, into those low red bushes ; that will do : now then, 

 I '11 flush them ; never mind me, boys, I '11 reserve my fire." 



