\VARWH>K WOODLANDS. 179 



iinder his nose; and it will pot up, and steal away directly. 

 That's a trick they will play very often." 



"He haint got no bird," said Tom, sulkily. And Frank 

 paused doubtful. 



"Step up, I tell you, Frank," said Harry, "the old 

 Turk's savage; that's all." 



And Frank did step up, close to the dog's nose; and 

 sent his foot through the grass close under it. Still the 

 dog stood perfectly stiff; but no bird rose. 



"I telled you there wam't no quails there;" growled 

 Tom. 



"And I tell you there are!" answered Archer, more 

 sharply than he often spoke to his old ally; for, in truth, 

 he was annoyed at his obstinate pertinacity. 



""What do you say. Commodore? Is Grouse lying? 

 Kick that tussock — kick it hard, Frank." 



"Not he," replied A ; "I'll bet fifty to one, there's a 



bird there." 



"It's devilish odd, then, that he won't get up!" said 

 Frank. 



Whack! whack! and he gave the hard tussock two 

 kicks with his heavy boot, that fairly made it shake. 

 Nothing stirred. Grouse still kept his point, but seemed 

 half inclined to dash in. Whack! a third kick that abso- 

 lutely loosened the tough hassock from the ground, and 

 then, whirr-r, from within six inches of the spot where 

 all three blows had been delivered, up got the bird, in a 

 desperate hurry; and in quite as desperate a hurry 

 Forester covered it — covered it before it was six yards 

 off! His finger was on the trigger, when Harry quietly 

 said, "Steady, Frank!" and the word acted like magic. 



He took the gun quite down from his shoulder, nodded 

 to his friend, brought it up again, and turned the bird 

 over very handsomely, at twenty yards, or a little further. 



"Beautifully done, indeed, Frank," said Harn.'. "So 

 much for coolness !" 



"What do you say to that, Tom?" said the Commodore, 

 laughing. 



But there was no Inugh in Tom; he only muttered a 

 savage growl, and an awful imprecation; and Harry's 



q\iick glance warned A not to plague the old Trojan 



further. 



