ALONE ON THE HILLS. 83 



snow forts, no Sindbad the Sailor, no Bluebeard, 

 except now and then in pantomime. Country boys 

 have rough play, and do well enough. Oh, the 

 delight to a boy, when school and snow-ball fights 

 were over for the day, to sit on the hearth-rug by 

 a mother's foot, and read the " Forty Thieves" or 

 " Gulliver's Travels ! " After-life has not many 

 pleasures in store to beat these feelings of stirring 

 adventure, combined with the sweet sense of love and 

 home security. 



After passing through the black wood, I took 

 along a rough hollow nice lying for game rock, 

 fern, and gorse in wild confusion, interspersed with 

 clumps of hazel and birch. Here I saw a good 

 promise of black game, and, at the end of the hollow, 

 I started three roe-deer ; they broke out to the open 

 hill, but soon stopped, and took a good look at me; 

 then, changing their minds, they turned to the wood, 

 and sped swiftly back to cover. 



When I had gone a little farther I met the game- 

 watcher of this side of the grounds, and went with 

 him to inspect some vermin-stamps. There was 

 nothing in the stamps but a carrion crow and a 

 weasel. 



The first is the worst of enemies to game-birds. I 



G 2 



