96 A MEDLEY OF SPORT 



Jack, anxious to stop the Irishman's flow of eloquence, 

 and feeling anything but pleased at being awakened 

 from his hard-earned rest at one o'clock in the morning 

 to go in search of duck which were usually conspicuous 

 by their absence in the neighbouring marsh, that 

 formed the happy fowling-ground of every man and boy 

 possessed of a ** shooting-iron " for miles round. 



" Och, man, get into your clothes, and don't stand 

 swearin' and shiverin' up there. Sure an' your language 

 is nearly as bad as was the curate's a few minutes ago, 

 when by accident I broke his bedroom window wid 

 a little stone that one wouldn't have thought would hurt 

 a fly," went on Jack's tormentor, adding, " Be quick, 

 man, an' don't forget to bring a dhrop iv the ' spirit iv 

 friendship ' wid you. I left me flask at home, an' the 

 night's divilish cold." 



Jack, knowing full well that the little Irishman 

 would continue to pelt at the window until he (Jack) 

 joined him on what would probably prove a wild-goose 

 chase in more senses than one, dressed pessimistically, 

 took his favourite old 12-bore and half-a-dozen cart- 

 ridges, and then blundered downstairs, muttering far 

 worse language, we fear, than the before-mentioned 

 sporting parson ever dreamed of. 



In spite of the fact that Tankerton was not at all 

 sanguine of obtaining a shot at anything worth powder 

 and shot on the marsh, once away from his warm and 

 comfortable " lair " he was glad to be in the open air. 

 It was one of those glorious nights upon which one may 



