W.'VRWICK WOODLANDS. 117 



bumps and threshings of the briers, and out with a noisy 

 flutter burst two birds under Forester's nose. Bang ! bang ! 



"The first shot too quick, altogether," muttered Archer; 

 "Ay, he has missed one; mark it, Tinij — there he goes 

 down in the corn, by jingo — you've got that bird, Frank! 

 That's well! Hold up, Shot" — another point within five 

 yards. "Look out again, Frank." 



But this time vainly did Tim poke, and thrash and 

 peer into the bushes — yet still Shot stood, stiif as a marble 

 statue — then Chase drew up and snuffed about, and 

 pushed his head and fore-legs into the matted briers, and 

 thereupon a muzzling noise ensued, and forthwith out he 

 came, mouthing a dead bird, warm still, and bleeding 

 from the neck and breast. 



"Frank, he has got my bird — and shot, just as I told 

 you, through the neck and near the great wing joint — 

 good dog! good dog!" 



"The devil!" 



"Yes, the devil ! but look out man, here is yet one more 

 point;" and this time ten or twelve birds flushed upon 

 Archer's side; he slew, as usual, his brace, and as they 

 crossed, at long distance, Frank knocked down one more 

 — the rest flew to the corn-field. 



In the middle of the buckwheat they flushed another, 

 and, in the rye, another bevy, both of which crossed the 

 stream, and settled down among the alders. They reached 

 the corn-field, and picked up their birds there, quite as 

 fast as Frank himself desired — three ruffed grouse they 

 had bagged, and four rabbits, in a small dingle full of 

 thorns, before they reached the corn; and just as the 

 tin liorns were sounding for noon and dinner from many 

 a neighboring farm, they bagged their thirty-fourth quail. 

 At the same moment, the rattle of a distant wagon on the 

 hard road, and a loud cheer replying to the last shot, an- 

 nounced the Commodore; who pulled up at the tavern 

 door just as they crossed the stepping-stones, having made 

 a right good morning's work, with a dead certainty of 

 better sport in the afternoon, since they had marked two 

 untouched bevies, thirty-five birds at least, beside some 

 ten or twelve more stragglers into the alder brakes, which 

 Harry knew to hold — moreover, thirty woodcock, as he 

 said, at the fewest. 



