WARWICK WOODLANDS. 163 



" Skeap ske-eap !" up sprang a couple of English snipe before 

 Shot's nose, and Harry cut them down, a splendid double shot, 

 before they had flown twenty yards, just as Frank dropped the 

 one which rose to him at the same moment. At the sound of the 

 guns a dozen more rose hard by, and fluttering on in rapid zig- 

 zags, dropped once again within a hundred yards the meadow 

 was alive with them. 



" Did you ever see snipe here before, Tom ?" asked Harry, as 

 he loaded. 



" Never in all my life but it's full now load up ! load up ! 

 for heaven's sake !" 



" No hurry, Tom ! Tom steady! the birds are tame and 

 lie like stones. We can get thirty or forty here, I know, if you'll 

 be steady only but if we go in with these four dogs, we shall 

 lose all. Here comes Tirn with the couples, and we'll take up 

 all but two !" 



" That's right," said A ; " take up Grouse and Tom's dog, 



for they won't hunt with yours and yours are the steadiest, and 

 fetch that's it, Tim, couple them, and carry them away. What 

 have you killed, Archer ?" he added, while his injunctions were 

 complied with. 



" One woodcock and a brace of ruffed grouse ! and Frank has 

 marked down three-and-twenty quail into that rushy bottom 

 yonder, where we can get every bird of them. We are going 

 to have great sport to-day !" 



" I think so. Tom and I each killed a double shot out of that 

 bevy !" 



" That was well ! Now, then, walk slowly and far apart we 

 must beat this three or four times, at least the dogs will get 

 them up!" 



It was not a moment before the first bird rose, but it was quite 

 two hours, and all the dinner horns had long blown for noon, 

 before the last was bagged the four guns having scored, in that 

 one meadow, forty-nine English snipe fifteen for Harry Archer 

 thirteen for Tom Draw twelve for the Commodore, and only 

 nine for Forester, who never killed snipe quite so well as he did 

 cock or quail. 



"And now, boys," exclaimed Tom, as he flung his huge car- 

 case on the ground, with a thud that shook it many a rod around 

 " there's a cold roast fowl, and some nice salt pork and crack- 

 ers, in that 'ar game bag and I'm a whale now, I tell you, for 

 a drink I' 7 



