126 THE JERSEY COAST. 



ofl, till the place smelt like the antechamber of Tar- 

 tarus. The mosquitoes were expelled or silenced at 

 the cost of a slight suffocation to ourselves, but we 

 gained several hours sleep till the smoke escaped and 

 allowed the villains to return to their prey. 



One sporting day resembles another in its essen- 

 tial features, although not often so entirely as with 

 the Englishman, who, having devoted his life to 

 woodcock shooting, and being called upon to relate 

 his experiences, replied that he had shot woodcock 

 for forty years, but never noticed anything worth re- 

 cording. Our next day, however, was enlivened by 

 sport of an unexpected kind. We had heard there 

 was some dispute about the ownership of the stands ; 

 in fact, that the one occupied by my friend and my- 

 self belonged to the Ortleys, a family represented 

 as decidedly uninviting; while both Bill and the 

 Ortleys claimed that, where another party was 

 located. 



In the disputed stand were Bill, a New York gen- 

 tleman, who, as events proved, seemed to be some- 

 thing of an athlete, and a sedate, unimpassionable Jer- 

 sey lawyer of considerable eminence. Elijah was 

 with us, when two villanous, red-haired, freckle- 

 skinned objects presented themselves, and, after 

 some preliminary remarks and a refusal on their 

 part of a friendly glass, which is a desperate sign in 

 a Jerseyman, mildly suggested that they would like 

 a little remuneration for the use of the stand. As 

 their suggestion was moderate, reasonable, and just, 

 and they undoubtedly owned the land, we complied, 



