58 WAftWlCK WOODLANDS. 



" Mine, Tom, very fairly ; but can that be tlie same cock I 

 knocked down, Archer ?" 



" Not a bit of it ; I saw your's fall dead as a stone ; he lies 

 half a yard farther in that tussoc." 



" How the deuce did you see him ? Why, you were shoot- 

 ing your own at the same moment." 



" All knack, Frank ; I marked both my own and yours, and 

 one of Tom's besides. Are you ready ? Hold up, Shot 1 

 There ; he has got your dead bird. Was I not right ? And 

 look to ! for, by Jove I he is standing on another, with the dead 

 bird in his mouth 1 That's pretty, is it not ?" 



Again two rose, and both were killed ; one by Tom, and one 

 by Archer ; my gun hanging fire. 



"That's nine birds down before we have bagged one," said 

 Archer ; " I hope no more will rise, or we'll be losing these." 



But this time his hopes were not destined to meet accom- 

 plishment, for seven more woodcock got up, five of which were 

 scattered in the grass around us, wing-broken or dead, before 

 we had even bagged the bird which Shot was gently mouthing. 



44 1 never saw anything like this in my life, Tom. Did you P' 

 cried Harry. 



" I never did, by George !" responded Tom. " Now do you 

 think there's any three men to be found in York, such darned 

 etarnal fools as to be willing to shoot a match agin us ?" 



44 To be sure I do, lots of them ; and to beat us too, to boot, 

 you stupid old porpoise. Why, there's Harry T - , and Nick 

 L - , and a dozen more of them, that you and I would have 

 no more chance with, than a gallon of brandy would have of 

 escaping from you at a single sitting. But we have shot 

 pretty well, to-day. Now do, for heaven's sake, let us try to 

 bag them !" 



And scattered though they were in all directions, among the 

 most infernal tangled grass I ever stood on, those excellent dogs 

 retrieved them one by one, till every bird was pocketed. We 

 then beat on and swept the rest of the meadow, and the outer 

 verge of the alders, picking up three more birds, making a to- 

 tal of seventeen brought to bag in less than half an hour. We 

 then proceeded to the wagon, took a good pull of water from a 

 beautiful clear spring by the roadside, properly qualified with 

 whiskey, and rattled on about one mile farther to the second 

 bridge. Here we again got out. 



44 Now, Tim," said Harry, 4 ' mark me well I Drive gently 



