TOM draw's visit TO PINE BROOK. 203 



"In heaven, I guess they be," responded Master Draw; 

 "leastwise they flew far enough to be there, anyhow !" 



"No! no! Tom, they've not gone so very far," said 

 Archer, "and there's good lying for them there, I shaU 

 be satisfied if they all go that way. To ho ! to ho !" he 

 interrupted himself, for the dogs had both come to a 

 dead point among some tall flags ; and Shot's head cocked 

 on one side, with his nose pointed directly downward, and 

 his brow furrowed into a knotty frown, showed that the 

 bird was under his very feet. "Come up, Tom — come up, 

 you old sinner — don't you see Shot's got a snipe under his 

 very nose?" 



"Well! well! I sees," answered Tom; "I sees it, dam 

 you ! but give a fellow time, you'd best, in this etamal miry 

 mudhole!" and, sinking mid leg deep at every step, the 

 fat man floundered on, keeping, however, his gun ever in 

 position, and his keen quick eye steadily fixed on the 

 staunch setter. 



"Are you ready, now? I'll flush him," exclaimed Harry, 

 taking a step in advance; and instantly up sprang the bird, 

 with his sharp, thrice-repeated cry, and a quick flutter of 

 his wings, almost straight into the air over the head of 

 Tom, striving to get the wind. 



Bang! Draw's first barrel was discharged, the snipe 

 being at that moment scarce ten feet from the muzzle, the 

 whole load going like a bullet, of course harmlessly ! — his 

 second followed, but, like the first, in vain; for the bird, 

 having fairly weathered him, was flying very fast, and 

 twisting all the time, directly up wind. Then Harry's gun 

 was pitched up, and the trigger drawn almost before the 

 butt was at his shoulder. Down went the bird; slanting 

 away six yards, though killed stone dead, in the direction 

 of his former flight, so rapidly had he been going, when 

 the shot struck him. 



"]\Iark! mark!" I shouted, "Harry. Mark! mark! be- 

 hind you!" As three more birds took wing, before the 

 red dog, and were bearing off, too far from me, to the right 

 hand, like those which had preceded them. I had, when I 

 cried "mark," not an idea that he could possibly have 

 killed one; for he had turned already quite around in his 

 tracks, to shoot the first bird, and the others had risen wild, 

 in the first place, and were now forty yards off at the least ; 

 but quick as thought he wheeled again, cocking his second 



