148 WARWICK WOODLANDS. 



for you but, besides this, I have seen bullets in pistol-shooting 

 play strange vagaries, glancing off from the target at all sorts of 

 queer angles." 



" Well ! well !'' replied Frank, " my rifle shoots true enough 

 for me true enough to kill generally and who the deuce can 

 be at the bother of your pragmatical preparations ! I am sure 

 it might be said of you, as it was of James the First, of most 

 pacific and pedantic memory, that you are i Captain of arts and 

 Clerk of arms ' at least you are a very pedant in gunnery." 



" No ! no !" said A ; " you're wrong there altogether, 



Master Forester ; there is nothing on earth that makes so great 

 a difference in sportsmanship as the observation of small things. 

 I don't call him a sportsman who can walk stoutly, and kill well, 

 unless he can give causes for effects unless he knows the haunts 

 and habits both of his game and his dogs unless he can give 

 a why for every wherefore !" 



" Then devil a bit will you ever call me one," answered 

 Frank " For I can't be at the trouble of thinking about it." 



" Stuff humbug folly " interrupted Archer " you know 

 a great deal better than that and so do we, too ! you're only 

 cranky ! a little cranky, Frank, and given to defending any folly 

 you commit without either rhyme or reason as when you tried 

 to persuade me that it is the safest thing in nature to pour gun- 

 powder out of a canister into a pound flask, with a lighted cigar 

 between your teeth ; to demonstrate which you had scarcely 

 screwed the top of the horn on, before the lighted ashes fell all 

 over it had they done so a moment sooner, we should all have 

 been blown out of the room." 



By this time, the Commodore had donned Harry's winter 

 jacket, and Frank, grumbling and paradoxizing all the while, 

 had loaded his rifle, and buttoned up his pea-jacket, when in 

 stalked Tom, swathed up to his chin in a stout dreadnought coat. 



u What are ye lazin' here about !" he shouted, "you're niver 

 ready no how. Jem's been agone these two hours, and we'll 

 jest be too late, and miss gittin' a shot if so be there be a buck 

 which I'll be sworn there arn't !" 



"Ha! ha!" the Commodore burst out; "ha! ha! ha! 1 

 should like to know which side the laziness has been on this 

 morning, Mister Draw.'' 



" On little wax skin's there," answered the old man, as quick 

 as lightning ; " the little snoopin' critter carn't find his gloves 

 now ; though the nags is at the door, and we all ready. 



