WARWICK WOODLANDS. 185 



them. At length, when they reached the old creek-side, and 

 the deep black mudholes, and the tangled vines and leafy 

 alders, there was, as usual, a quick, sharp, and decisive 

 rally. Before the dogs were thrown into it, Frank was 

 sent forward to the extreme point, and the Commodore 

 out into the open field, on the opposite side from that oc- 

 cupied by fat Tom. 



On the signal of a whistle, from each of the party, Harry 

 drove into the brake with the spaniels, the setters being 

 now consigned to the care of Timothy; and in a moment, 

 his loud "Hie cock! Hie cock! Pur-r-r — Hie cock! good 

 dogs !" was succeeded by the shrill yelping of the cockers, 

 the flap of the fast rising birds, and the continuous rat- 

 tling of shots. 



In twenty minutes the work was done; and it was well 

 that it was done; for, within a quarter of an hour after- 

 wards, it was too dark to shoot at all. 



In that last twenty minutes twenty-two cock were actu- 

 ally brought to bag, by the eight barrels ; twenty-eight had 

 been picked up, one by one, as they came down the long 

 swamp, and one Harry had killed in the morning. When 

 Timothy met them, with the horses, at the big oak tree, 

 half an hour afterward — for he had gone off across the 

 fielcis, as hard as he could foot it to the farm, as soon as he 

 had received the setters — it was quite dark; and the friends 

 had counted their game out regularly, and hung it up 

 secundum artem in the loops of the new game bag. 



It was a huge day's sport — a day's sport to talk about 

 for years afterward — Tom Draw does talk about it now ! 



Fifty-one woodcock, forty-nine English snipe, twenty- 

 seven quail, and a brace of ruffed grouse. A hundred 

 and twenty-nine head in all, on unpreserved ground, and 

 in very wild walking. It is to be feared it will never be 

 done any more in the vale of Warwick. For this, alas! 

 was ten years ago. 



When they reached Tom's it was decided that they 

 should all return home on the morrow; that Harry should 

 attend to the procuring his purchase money; and Tom to 

 the cheapening of the purchase. 



In addition to this, the old boy swore, by all his patron 

 saints, that he would come down in spring, and have a 

 touch at the snipe he had heerd Archer tell on at Pine 

 Brook. 



