68 WARWICK WOODLANDS. 



now look sharp ! You sent the Teachmans word that we were 

 coming, Tom ?'' 



" Sartin ! and they've got breakfast ready long enough before 

 this, anyways." 



With no more of delay, but with lots more of merriment 

 and shouting, on we drove ; and in five minutes' space, just as 

 the sun was rising, reached the small rude enclosure around two 

 or three log huts, lying just on the verge of the beautiful clear 

 lake. Two long sharp boats, and a canoe scooped out of a 

 whole tree, were drawn up on the sandy beach ; a fishing net 

 of many yards in length was drying on the rails ; a brace of 

 large, strong, black and tan foxhounds were lying on the step 

 before the door ; a dozen mongrel geese, with one wing-tipped 

 wild one among them, were sauntering and gabbling about the 

 narrow yard ; and a glorious white-headed fishing eagle, with a 

 clipped wing, but otherwise at large, was perched upon the 

 roof hard by the chimney. 



At the rattle of our arrival, out came from the larger of the 

 cottages, three tall rough-looking countrymen to greet us, not 

 one of whom stood less than six foot in his stockings, while 

 two were several inches taller. 



Great was their wonder, and loud were their congratutations 

 when they beheld the unexpected prize which we had gained, 

 while on our route ; but little space was given at that time to 

 either ; for the coffee, which, by the way, was poor enough, 

 and the hot cakes and fried perch, which were capital, and the 

 grilled salt pork, swimming in fat, and the large mealy potatoes 

 bursting through their brown skins, were ready smoking upon 

 a rough wooden board, covered, however, by. a clean white ta- 

 ble cloth, beside a sparkling fire of wood, which our drive 

 through the brisk mountain air had rendered by no means un- 

 acceptable. 



We breakfasted like hungry men and hunters, both rapidly 

 and well ; and before half an hour elapsed, Archer, with Jem 

 and one of our bold hosts, started away, well provided with 

 powder and ball, and whiskey, and accompanied by all the 

 hounds, to make a circuit of the western hill, on the summit of 

 which they expected to be joined by two or three more of the 

 neighbors, whence they proposed to drive the whole sweep of 

 the forest-clad descent down to the water's edge. 



Tim was enjoined to see to the provisions, and to provide- as 

 good a dinner as his best gastronomic skill and the contents of 



