168 WARWICK WOODLANDS. 



than he often spoke to his old ally ; for, in truth, he was annoy- 

 ed at his obstinate pertinacity. 



" What do you say, Commodore ? Is Grouse lying ! Kick 

 that tussock kick it hard, Frank." 



" Not he/' replied A- ; " I'll bet fifty to one, there's a 



bird there." 



" It's devilish odd, then, that he won't get up !" said Frank. 



Whack ! whack ! and he gave the hard tussock two kicks 

 with his heavy boot, that fairly made it shake. Nothing stirred. 

 Grouse still kept his point, but seemed half inclined to dash in. 

 Whack! a third kick that absolutely loosened the tough has- 

 sock from the ground, and then, whirr-r, from within six inches 

 of the spot where all three blows had been delivered, up got the 

 bird, in a desperate hurry ; and in quite as desperate a hurry 

 Forester covered it covered it before it was six yards off! His 

 finger was on the trigger, when Harry quietly said, " Steady, 

 Frank !" and the word acted like magic" 



He took the gun quite down from his shoulder, nodded to 

 his friend, brought it up again, and turned the bird over very 

 handsomely, at twenty yards, or a little further. 



" Beautifully done, indeed, Frank/' said Harry. " So much 

 for coolness !" 



" What do you say to that, Tom ?" said the Commodore, 

 laughing. 



But there was no laugh in Tom ; he only muttered a savage 

 growl, and an awful imprecation ; and Harry's quick glance 

 warned A not to plague the old Trojan further. 



All this passed in a moment ; and then was seen one of those 

 singular things that will at times happen ; but with regard to 

 quail only, so far as I have ever seen or heard tell. For as 

 Forester was putting down the card upon the powder in the 

 barrel which he had just fired, a second bird rose, almost from 

 the identical spot whence the first had been so difficultly flushed, 

 and went off in the same direction. But not in the least was 

 Frank flurried now. He dropped his ramrod quietly upon the 

 grass, brought up his piece deliberately to his eye, and killed 

 his bird again. 



" Excellent excellent ! Frank," said Harry again. " I never 

 saw two prettier shots in all my life. Nor did I ever see birds 

 lie harder." 



During all this time, amidst all the kicking of tussocks, 

 threshing of bog-grass, and banging of guns, and, worst of all, 



