70 WARWICK WOODLANDS. 



The next moment the keen short hunting knife, without 

 which Archer never takes the field, had severed at a single 

 stroke the weasand of the gallant brute; the black blood 

 streamed out on the smoking hoar-frost, the full eyes 

 glazed, and, after one sharp fluttering struggle, the life 

 departed from those graceful limbs, which had been but 

 a few short instants previous so full of glorious energy — 

 of fiery vigor. 



"Well, that's the strangest thing I ever heard of, let 

 alone seeing," exclaimed Archer, "fancy a buck like that 

 lying in such a mere fringe of coppice, and so near to the 

 road-side, too ! and why the deuce did he lay there till 

 we almost passed him!" 



"I know how it's been, any heaw," said Jem, who had 

 by this time come up, and was looking on with much 

 exultation flashing in his keen small eye. "Bill Speer 

 up on the hill there telled me jist now, that they druv a 

 big deer down from the back-bone clear down to this here 

 hollow just above, last night arter dark. Bill shot at him, 

 and kind o' reckoned he hot him — but I guess he's mis- 

 taken — leastwise he jumped strong enough jist neaw!— 

 but which on you was 't 'at killed him?" 



"I did," exclaimed Tom, " I did by !" 



"Why you most impudent of all old liars," replied 

 Harry — while at the same time, with a most prodigious 

 chuckle, Tim Matlock pointed to the white bark of a birch 

 sapling, about the thickness of a man's thigh, standing at 

 somewhat less than fifteen paces' distance, wherein the 

 large shot contained by the wire cartridge — the best sport- 

 ing invention by the way, that has been made since per- 

 cussion caps — had bedded themselves in a black circle, 

 cut an inch at least in the solid wood, and about two 

 inches in diameter! 



"I ken gay and fairly," exclaimed Tim, " 'at Ay rammed 

 an Eley's patent cartridge into 't single sroon this morn- 

 ing; and yonder is 't i' t' birk tree, and Ay ken a load o' 

 shot fra an unce bullet!" 



The laugh was general now against fat Tom ; especially 

 as the small wound made by the heaw ball of Harry's 

 rifle was plainly visible, about a hand's breadth behind 

 the heart, on the side toward which he had aimed; while 

 the lead had passed directly through, in an oblique direc- 

 tion forward, breaking the left shoulder blade, and lodging 



