TOM draw's visit TO PINE BROOK. 209 



right on our beat, too — Ay ! there are two guns, and two, 

 three, pointers ! — liver and white a brace, and one all liver. 



"I know them," Harry said, "I know them, good shots 

 and hard walkers both, but a little too much of the old 

 school — a little too much of the twaddle and potter sys- 

 tem. Jem Tickler, there, used, when I landed here, to kill 

 as many birds as any shot out of the city — though even 



then the Jersey boys, poor Ward and Harry T gave 



him no chance ; but now heaven help him ! Fat Tom here 

 would get over more ground, and bag more snipe, too, in 

 a day! The other is a canny Scot, — I have forgot his 

 name, but he shoots well and walks Better. iNever mind! 

 we can outshoot them, I believe; and I am sure we can out- 

 manoeuvre them. Get away ! get away. Bob," as he flanked 

 the near-side horse under the collar on the inside — "get 

 away you old thief — we must forereach on them." Away 

 we went another mile, wheeled short to the left hand 

 through a small bit of swampy woodland, and over a rough 

 causeway, crossing a narrow flaggy bog, with three straight 

 ditches, and a meandering muddy streamlet, traversing 

 its black surface. "Ha! what's John at there?" exclaimed 

 Harry, pulling short up, and pointing to that worthy crawl- 

 ing on all fours behind a tuft of high buUrushes toward 

 the circuitous creek — "There are duck there for a thou- 

 sand !" — and as he spoke, up rose with splash and quack 

 and flutter, four or five long-winged wild-fowl; bang! 

 went John's long duck-gun, and simultaneously with the 

 report, one of the fowl keeled over, killed quite dead, two 

 others faltering somewhat in their flight, and hanging on 

 the air heavily for a little space; when over went a second 

 into the creek, driving the water six feet into the air in 

 a bright sparkling shower. 



The other three, including the hit bird, which rallied as 

 it flew, dived forward, flying very fast, obliquely to the 

 road ; and to my great surprise Harry put the whip on his 

 horses with such vigor that in an instant both were on the 

 gallop, the wagon bouncing and rattling violently on the 

 rude log-floored causeway. An instant's thought showed 

 me his object, which was to weather on the fowl sufficiently 

 to get a shot, ere they should cross the road; although I 

 marvelled still how he intended to pull up from the furious 

 pace at which he was going in time to get a chance. 

 Little space, however, had I for amazement ; for the ducks. 



