SHOOTING IN ILLINOIS. 



121 



mishaps. Finally four birds flushed, and six barrels 

 again spoke, the quarto falling simultaneously with 

 the report. Scarcely had they touched the ground 

 when T. informed us with evident satisfaction that 

 he had got his hand in now, as two of the last 

 victims could well attest. However, on picking up 

 the game, what was my surprise when a bird I felt 

 confident was mine was a second time claimed ; nor 

 was this all: Gr. vowed he had killed both of his; 

 still T. equally energetically disputed his success, and 

 would not listen to anything to the contrary ; more^ 

 over he offered to prove, and in truth did with logic 

 and argument worthy of the bench, how he was un- 

 doubtedly the proper proprietor. 



We are all aware that strange coincidences take 

 place in the hunting-field so very strange that the 

 narration of them suggests a liberal draft on the imagi- 

 nation. I felt willing to attribute these incidents to 

 this source ; so thinking a great deal and saying very 

 little, we resumed our labours. Only one bird out of the 

 first lot had escaped, and his flight was in the direction 

 we intended proceeding, so that the chances were all 

 in our favour of picking him up. Again we spread 

 into line, and the well-bred dogs parcelled their 

 ground off as systematically as a merchant's clerk would 

 measure off goods. As we advanced, T,, who was on 



