WARWICK WOODLANDS, 119 



very young child, knows at once that a gun with caps on 

 is loaded. You leave yours on the table without caps, and 

 in comes some meddling chap or other, puts on one to try 

 the lock^, or to frighten liis sweetheart, or for some other 

 no less sapient purpose, and off it goes ! and if it kill no 

 one, it's God's mercy! Never do that again, Frank!" 



Meanwhile they had arrived within ten yards of the low 

 rickety stone wall, skirted by a thin fringe of saplings, in 

 which Archer expected to find game — Grouse, never in 

 what might be called exact command, had disappeared 

 beyond it. 



"Hold up, good dogs!" cried Harry, and as he spoke 

 away went Shot and Chase — the red dog, some three 

 yards ahead, jumped on the wall, and, in the act of bound- 

 ing over it, saw Grouse at point beyond. Rigid as stone 

 he stood upon that tottering ridge, one hind foot drawn 

 up in the act of pointing, for both the fore were occupied 

 in clinging to some trivial inequalities of the rough cop- 

 ing, his feathery flag erect, his black eye fixed, and his lip 

 slavering; for so hot was the scent that it reached his 

 exquisitely fashioned organs, though Grouse was many 

 feet advanced between him and the game. Shot backed 

 at the wall-foot, seeing the red dog only, and utterly un- 

 conscious that the pointer had made the game beyond. 



"By Jove; but that is beautiful!" exclaimed the Com- 

 modore. "That is a perfect picture! the very perfection 

 of steadiness and breaking." 



They crossed the wall, and poor Shot, in the rear, saw 

 them no more; his instinct strongly, aye! naturally, 

 tempted him to break in, but second nature, in the shape 

 of discipline, prevailed ; and, though he trembled with 

 excitement, he moved not an inch. Grouse was as firm as 

 iron, his nose within six inches of a bunch of wintergreen, 

 pointed directly downward, and his head cocked a little 

 on one side — they stepped up to him, and, still on the 

 wall-top, Chase held to his uneasy attitude. 



"Now, then," said Harry, "look out, till I kick him up." 



No sooner said than done — the toe of his thick shoot- 

 ing-boot crushed the slight evergreen, and out whirred, 

 with his white chaps and speckled breast conspicuous, an 

 old cock quail. He rose to Forester, but ere that worthy 

 had even cocked his gun — for he had now adopted Archer's 



