156 WARWICK WOODLANDS. 



dollar I carry him back over that same wall without touching 

 a stone.' 7 And, as he spoke, he set his foot into the stirrup, 

 as if he were about to put his threat into immediate execution. 



" Quit, Forester quit, I say quit, now consarn the hide 

 on you " shouted the fat man, now in great tribulation, and 

 apprehending a second edition of the tumble " quit foolin', or 

 by h 1 I'll put a grist of shot, or one of they green cartridges 

 into you stret away I will, by the Etarnal !" and as he spoke 

 he dropped the muzzle of his gun, and put his thumb upon 

 the cock. 



"/say quit fooling too," cried Harry, "both of you quit it; 

 you old fool, Tom, do you really suppose he is mad enough to 

 ride that brute of yours again at the wall ?" 



" Mad enough ! Yes, I swon he be," responded Tom ; " both 

 of you be as mad as the hull Asylum down to York. If Frank 

 arn't mad, then there aint such a word as mad !" But as he 

 spoke he replaced his gun under his arm, and walked off to his 

 horse, which he mounted, without farther words, his example 

 being followed by the whole party, who set off on the spur, and 

 reached the village in less than half an hour. 



Breakfast was on the table when they got there black tea, 

 produced from Harry's magazine of stores, rich cream, hot 

 bread, and Goshen butter eggs in abundance, boiled, roasted, 

 fried with ham an omelet au fines herbes, no inconsiderable 

 token of Tim's culinary skill a cold round of spiced beef, and 

 last, not least, a dish of wood-duck hot from the gridiron. 



" By George," said Harry, " here's a feast for an epicure, and 

 I can find the appetite." 



" Find it " said Forester, grinning, who, pretending to eat 

 nothing, or next to nothing, and not to care what was set 

 before him, was really the greatest gourmet and heaviest feeder 

 of the party " Find it, Harry 1 it's quite new to me that you 

 ever lost it. When was it, hey ?" 



"Arter he'd eat a hull roast pig, I reckon leastwise that 

 might make Harry lose his'n ; but I'll be darned if two would 

 be a sarcumstance to set before you, Frank, no how. Here's 

 A , too, he don't never eat." 



" These wood-duck are delicious," answered the Commodore, 

 who was very busily employed in stowing away his pro van t, 

 " What a capital bird it is, Harry." 



" Indeed, is it," said he, " and this is, me judice, the very 

 best way to eat it, red hot from the gridiron, cooked very quick, 



