184 TOM DRAW'S VISIT TO PI&E SHOOS. 



get your gun, and the rest of jour traps. I wish to the Lord 

 you would !" 



" Oh ! oh !" Tom burst out, on the instant, " oh ! oh ! I won't 

 go, sartain, less so be McTavish concludes on going tew we 

 carn't do nothing without him." 



It was in vain, however, that we all united in entreating him 

 to go alonghe had business to do to-morrow he was afraid 

 of getting his feet wet, and fifty other equally valid excuses, till 

 Harry exclaimed " It's no use, I can tell you Donald's bluid's 

 up, and there's an end of it " 



Whereat McTavish laughed, and saying that he did not think, 

 for a very short-sighted man, snipe-shooting up to his waist in 

 water, and up to his knees in mud, was the great thing it is 

 cracked up to be, filled himself a pretty sufficient dose of hot 

 toddy, and drank to our good. luck. Just at this moment, up 

 rattled, ready packed, with the dogs in, the gun-cases stowed, 

 and store of topcoats, capes, and bear-skins, all displayed, the 

 wagon to the door* 



" I need not tell you, Mac,'' cried Archer, as he wrung the 

 gallant Celt by the hand, " to make yourself at home we must 

 be off, you know ;" then opening the window, " hand in those 

 coats, Timothy, out of that drizzling rain I thought you had 

 more sense." 



"Nay, then, they're no but just coom fra under t' approns," 

 responded Tim, not over and above delighted at the reflection 

 on his genius " they're droy as booans, Ayse warrant urn." 



" Well ! hand them in then hand them in where's your 

 coat, Tom ? that's it ; now look here, buckle on this crape of 

 mine over your shoulders, and take this India-rubber hood, and 

 tie it over your hat, and you may laugh at four -and- twenty- 

 hours' rain, let alone two. You have got toggery enough, 

 Frank, I conclude so here goes for myself." Whereupon he 

 indued, first a pea-jacket of extra pilot-cloth, and a pair of 

 English mud-boots, buttoning to the mid-thigh ; and, above 

 these, a regular box coat of stout blue dreadnought, with half a 

 dozen capes ; an oil-skin covered hat, with a curtain to protect 

 his neck and ears, fastening with a hook and eye under the 

 chin, completing his attire. In we got, thereupon, without 

 more ado. Myself and Timothy, with the two setters, in the 

 box-seat behind, the leathern apron unrolled and buttoned up, 

 over a brace of buffalo robes, hairy side inward, to our middles 

 Harry and Tom in front, with one superb black bearskin 



