62 WARWICK WOODLANDS. 



and then get luncheon ready. We shall be with you by 

 two o'clock at farthest." 



"Ay, ay, sur!" 



And off he drove at a steady pace, while we, striking 

 into the meadow, to the left hand of the road, went along- 

 getting sport such as I never beheld or even dreamed of 

 before. For about five hundred yards in width from the 

 stream, the ground was soft and miry to the depth of some 

 four inches, with long sword-grass quite knee-deep, and at 

 every fifty yards a bunch of willows or swamp alders. In 

 every clump of bushes we found from three to five birds, 

 and as the shooting was for the most part very open, we 

 rendered on the whole a good account of them. The dogs 

 throughout behaved superbly, and Tom was altogether 

 frantic with the excitement of the sport. The time seemed 

 short indeed, and I could not for a moment have imagined 

 that it was even noon, when we reached the barrack. 



This was a hut of rude, unplaned boards, which had 

 been put up formerly with the intent of furnishing a 

 permanent abode for some laboring men, but which, hav- 

 ing been long deserted, was now used only as a temporary 

 shelter by charcoal burners, hay-makers, or like ourselves, 

 stray sportsmen. It was, however, though rudely built, 

 and fallen considerably into decay, perfectly beautiful 

 from its romantic site; for it stood just at the end of a 

 long tangled covert, with a huge pin oak-tree, leaning 

 abruptly out from an almost precipitous bank of yellow 

 sand, completely canopying it; while from a crevice in 

 the sand-stone there welled out a little source of crystal 

 water, which expanded into as sweet a basin as ever served 

 a Dryad for her bath in Arcady, of old. 



Before it stretched the wide sweep of meadow land, with 

 the broad blue Wellkill gliding through it, fringed by a 

 skirt of coppice, and the high mountains, veiled with a 

 soft autumnal mist, sleeping beyond, robed in their many- 

 colored garb of crimson, gold and green. Besides the 

 spring the indefatigable Tim had kindled a bright glanc- 

 ing fire while in the basin were cooling two long-necked 

 bottles of the Baron's best ; a clean white cloth was spread 

 in the shade before the barrack door, with plates and cups, 

 and bread cut duly, and a travelling case of cruets, with 

 all the other appurtenances needful. 



On our appearance he commenced rooting in a heap of 



