174 WARWICK WOODLANDS. 



Frank dropped the one which rose to him at the same 

 moment. At the sound of the guns a dozen more rose 

 hard by, and fluttering on in rapid zig-zags, dropped once 

 again within a hundred yards — the meadow was alive with 

 them. 



"Did you ever see snipe here before, Tom?" asked 

 Harry, as he loaded. 



"Never in all my life — but it's full now — load up! load 

 up ! for heaven's sake !" 



"No hurry, Tom! Tom — steady! the birds are tame 

 and lie like stones. We can get thirty or forty here, I know, 

 if you'll be steady only — but if we go in with these four 

 dogs, we shall lose all. Here comes Tim with the couples, 

 and we'll take up all but two !" 



"That's right," said A ; "take up Grouse and Tom's 



dog, for they won't hunt with yours — and yours are the 

 steadiest, and fetch — that's it, Tim, couple them, and 

 carry them away. What have you killed. Archer?" he 

 added, while his injunctions were complied with. 



"One woodcock and a brace of ruffed grouse ! and Frank 

 has marked down three-and-twenty quail into that rushy 

 bottom yonder, where we can get every bird of them. 

 We are going to have great sport to-day!" 



"I think so. Tom and I each killed a double shot out 

 of that bevy!" 



"That was well; Now, then, walk slowly and far apart 

 — we must beat this three or four times, at least — the 

 dogs will get them up!" 



It was not a moment before the first bird rose, but it was 

 quite two hours, and all the dinner horns had long blown 

 for noon, before the last was bagged — the four guns hav- 

 ing scored, in that one meadow, forty-nine English snipe 

 — fifteen for Harry Archer — thirteen for Tom Draw — 

 twelve for the Commodore, and only nine for Forester, 

 who never killed snipe quite so well as he did cock or 

 quail. 



"And now, boys," exclaimed Tom, as he flung his huge 

 carcass on the ground, with a thud that shook it many 

 a rod around — "there's a cold roast fowl, and some nice 

 salt pork and crackers, in that 'ar game bag — and I'm 

 a whale now, I tell you, for a drink!" 



"Which will you take to drink, Tom?" inquired Fores- 



