WARWICK WOODLANDS. ll 



laugh, and then added aloud " I think you may as well, Tom 

 for I don't believe the fellow will miss another bird to-day." 



And in truth, strange to say, it fell out, in reality, nearly as 

 Archer had spoken in jest. The whole party shot exceedingly 

 well. The four birds, which Tom and the Commodore had 

 missed at the first start, were found again in an old ragwort 

 field, and brought to bay ; and of the twenty-three quail which 

 Forester had marked down into the bog meadow, not one bird 

 escaped, and of that bevy not one bird did Frank miss, killing 

 twelve, all of them double shots, to his own share, and beating 

 Archer in a canter. 



But that sterling sportsman cared not a stiver; too many 

 times by far had he had the field, too sure was he of doing the 

 same many a time again, to dislike being beaten once. Besides 

 this, he was always the least jealous shot in the world, for a 

 very quick one ; and, in this instance, he was perhaps better 

 pleased to see his friend " go in and win/' than he would have 

 been to do the like himself. 



Exactly at two o'clock, by A 's repeater, the last bird 



was bagged ; making twenty-seven quail, forty-nine snipe, two 

 ruffed grouse, and one woodcock, bagged in about five hours. 



" So far, this is the very best day's sport I ever saw," said 

 Archer ; " and two things I have seen which I never saw be- 

 fore ; a whole bevy of quail killed without the escape of one 

 bird, and a whole bevy killed entirely by double shots, except 



the odd bird. You, A , have killed three double shots I 



have killed three Tom Draw one double shot, and the odd 

 bird ; and Master Frank there, confound him, six double shots 

 running the cleverest thing I ever heard of, and, in Forester's 

 case, the best shooting possible. I have missed one bird, you 

 two, and Tom three." 



" But Tom beant a goin' to miss no more birds, I can tell 

 you, boy. Tom's drinked agin, and feels kind o' righter than 

 he did kind o' first best ! You'd best all drink, boys the 

 spring's handy, close by here ; and after we gits down acrost 

 the road into the big swamp, and Hell-Hole, there arn't a drop 

 o' water fit to drink, till we gits way down to Aunt Sally's big 

 spring-hole, jest to home." 



" I second the motion," said Harry ; " and then let us be 

 quick, for the day is wearing away, and we have got a long 

 beat yet before us. I wish it were a sure one. But it is not. 

 Once in three or four years we get a grand day's sport in the 



