118 WARWICK WOODLANDS. 



"Well! Harry," exclaimed Frank, as he set down his 

 gun, and sat down to the table, "I must for once knock 

 under — your practice has borne out your precepts." 



THE WOODCOCK. 



Luncheon was soon discussed, a noble cold quail pie 

 and a spiced round of beef, which formed the most es- 

 sential parts thereof, displaying in their rapidly dimin- 

 ished bulk ocular evidence of the extent of sportsmen's 

 appetites; a single glass of shrub and water followed, 

 cheroots were lighted, and forth the comrades sallied, the 

 Commodore inquiring as they went what were the pros- 

 pects of success. 



"You fellows," he concluded, "have, I suppose, swept the 

 ground completely." 



"That you shall see directly," answered Archer; "I shall 

 make you no promises. But see how evidently Grouse 

 recollects those dogs of mine, though it is nearly a year 

 since they have met ; don't you think so, A ?" 



"To be sure I do," replied the Commodore; "I saw it 

 the first moment you came up — had they been strangers 

 he would have tackled them upon the instant ; and instead 

 of that he began wagging his tail, and wriggling about, 

 and playing with them. Oh! depend upon it, dogs think, 

 and remember, and reflect far more than we imagine — " 



"Oh! run back, Timothy — run back!" here Archer in- 

 terrupted him — "we don't want you this afternoon. 

 Harness the nags and pack the wagon, and put them to, 

 at five — we shall be at home by then, for we intend to be 

 at Tom's to-night. Now look out, Frank, those three last 

 quail we marked in from the hill dropped in the next 

 field, where the ragwort stands so thick; and five to one, 

 as there is a thin growth of brushwood all down this wall 

 side, they will have run down hither. Why, man alive! 

 you've got no copper caps on!" 



"By George! no more I have — I took them off when I 

 laid down my gun in the house, and forgot to replace 

 them." 



"And a very dangerous thing you did in taking them 

 off, permit me to assure you. Any one but a fool, or a 



