296 WITH THE WOODLANDERS. 



rough turn he had got the day before ; so we could 

 look for it ourselves. We agreed to walk wide apart, 

 until we got to where the bird appeared to drop, and 

 then to come and meet each other. As we drew 

 down towards the spot where the snipe dropped his 

 wing, from a hollow in front of us out dashed a dun 

 crow, darting like any hawk. I fired, and missed him 

 clean ; my friend let drive and hit him : for Hoody 

 mounts up, cuts some capers, and then comes down 

 whirling like a shuttlecock. In the hollow he had 

 darted from we found a few fragments of the snipe, 

 and as my friend (like myself) had the gift of using 

 forcible language in unlimited quantities, something 

 was said. 



" I let him have it, didn't I ? " 



" Well, it looked like it ; but you are not able to 

 count much on a dun crow." 



" No ; the devil eat him, for gobblin' that 'ere 

 snipe: there's a shilling gone clean, true as I'm a 

 sinner. I'll have him, if I wear the soles o' my 

 boots off lookin' for him." 



" All right ; but no crow-hunting with loaded guns 

 for me. I have had one bit of bad luck ; I do not 

 want another." 



