WARWICK WOODLANDS. 35 



Another hour's hentiug, in which we still kept picking 

 up, from time to time, some scattering birds, brought us 

 to the spring head, where we found Tim with luncheon 

 ready, and our fat friend reposing at his side, with two 

 more grouse, and a rabbit which he had bagged along the 

 covert's edge. Cool was the Star champagne ; and capital 

 was the cold fowl and Cheshire cheese; and most delicious 

 was the repose that followed, enlivened with gay wit and 

 free good humor, soothed by the fragrance of the ex- 

 quisite cheroots, moistened by the last drops of the Ferin- 

 tosh qualified by the crystal waters of the spring. After 

 an hour's rest, we counted up our spoil : four ruffed 

 grouse, nineteen woodcocks, with ten brace and a half of 

 quail beside the bunny, made up our score — done com- 

 fortably in four hours. 



"Now we have finished for to-day with quail," said 

 Archer, "but we'll get full ten couple more of woodcock; 

 come, let us be stirring; hang up your game-bag in the 

 tree, and tie the setters to the fence; T want you in with 

 me to beat, Tim; you two chaps must both keep the out- 

 side — you all the time, Tom ; you, Frank, till you get to 

 that tall thunder-shivered ash tree; turn in there, and 

 follow up the margin of a wide $lank you will see; but 

 be careful, the mud is very deep, and dangerous in places; 

 now then, here goes !" 



And in he went, jumping a narrow streamlet into a 

 point of thicket, through which he drove by main force. 

 Scarce had he got six yards into the brake, before both 

 spaniels quested ; and, to my no small wonder, the jungle 

 seemed alive with woodcock; eight or nine, at the least> 

 flapped up at once, and skimmed along the tongue of 

 coppice toward the high wood, which ran along the valley, 

 as I learned afterward, for full three miles in length — 

 while four or five more wheeled off to the sides, giving 

 myself and Draw fair shots, by which we did not fail to 

 profit ; but I confess it was with absolute astonishment 

 that I saw two of those turned over, which flew inward, 

 killed by the marvellously quick and unerring aim of 

 Archer, where a less thorough sportsman would have been 

 quite unable to discharge a gun at all, so dense was the 

 tangled juns?-le. Throughout the whole length of that 

 skirt of coppice, a hundred and fifty yards, I should sup- 



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