WARWICK WOODLANDS. 7"5 



I dropped him, you may be sure, with a charge, too, of duck 

 shot ; and he fell some ten yards over on the meadow ; so leav- 

 ing Garry to pursue the drake, I landed, loaded my gun with 

 No. 9, and went to work the result as you see ; but I cleared 

 the meadow devil a bird is left there, except one I cut to 

 pieces, and could not find for want of Chase two went away 

 without a shot, over the hills and far away. As for letting you 

 lie in bed, you must talk to Tom about it ; I bid him call you, 

 and the fat rascal never did so, and never said a word about 

 you, till we were ready for a start, and then no Master Frank 

 was to the fore." 



" Well, Tom," cried I, " what have you got to say to this ?" 



' Now, cuss you, don't come foolin' about me," replied that 

 worthy, aiming a blow at me, which, had it taken place, might 

 well have felled Goliah ; but which, as I sprang aside, wasting 

 its energies on the impassive air, had well nigh floored the 

 striker. " Don't you come foolin' about me you knows right 

 well I called you, and you knows, too, you almost cried, and 

 told me to clear out, and let you git an hour's sleep ; for by the 

 Lord you thought Archer and I was made of steel ! you 

 couldn't and you wouldn't and now you wants to know the 

 reason why you warn't along with us !'' 



" Never mind the old thief, Frank," said Archer, seeing that 

 I was on the point of answering, " even his own aunt says he 

 is the most notorious liar in all Orange county and Heaven 

 forbid we should gainsay that most respectable old lady !" 



Into what violent asseveration our host would have plunged 

 at this declaration, remains, like the tale of Cambuscan bold, 

 veiled in deep mystery ; for as he started from the log on which 

 he had been reposing while in the act of unsplicing his bam- 

 boo fishing pole, the elder of the Teachmans thrust his head 

 out of the cabin nearest to us " Come, boys, to breakfast !" 

 and at the first word of his welcome voice, Tom made, as he 

 would have himself defined it, stret tracks for the table. And 

 a mighty different table it was from that to which we had sat 

 down on the preceding morning. Timothy unscared by the 

 wonder of the mountain nymphs, who deemed a being of the 

 masculine gender as an intruder, scarce to be tolerated, on the 

 mysteries of the culinary art had exerted his whole skill, and 

 brought forth all the contents of his canteen ! We had a su- 

 perb steak of the fattest venison, graced by cranberries stewed 

 with cayenne pepper, and sliced lemons. A pot of excellent 



