A Day with tbe Woodcock 183 



a chance, still the " sixteen " was kept pretty busy, 

 and every now and then the louder report of Duck- 

 ett's piece told that he was getting sport. " Marse 

 Ned," however, noticed that several reports came 

 from about the same spot, and working over in that 

 direction he found, as he had suspected, that the 

 old rascal was in an opening and waiting for birds 

 to be driven to him. 



" Ho, ho ! Duckett, no climbing up on stumps 

 and fooling the old man, eh? You sinner, why 

 don't you hunt through it ? " 



" Gimme time, Marse Ned, gimme time ; yo'se bin 

 a-drivin' 'em over hyar so fast dat I done had no 

 chance to move 'long. De ole man ain't so spry as 

 yo' be, shuah nuff." 



" Spry be hanged ! You're spry enough to know 

 how to play tricks. Get into that brush and to 

 work, or I'll fill you full of shot. Hustle now, or 

 look out for yourself if I beat you to the other end." 



Duckett, sorely against his will, moved ahead 

 through the cover, and no sooner was he well 

 started than Marse Ned mounted a huge stump 

 and stood ready. Several birds flushed within easy 

 range and from his commanding elevation he had 

 no trouble in bowling them over, leaving the task 

 of securing them to the dog, who performed his 

 duties in a faultless manner. After a few shots an 

 anxious voice exclaimed : " Say, Marse Ned, am yo' 

 a-comin'? Tears to me like yo' am sorter hangin' 

 back dar." 



Just then there was a musical twitter of wings, 

 and a big bird showed above the thicket and darted 

 for the woods, passing some forty yards from the 



