A WEEK S DUCK SHOOTING AT POOLE. 5 



room_, one of the lads_, Bill^ engaging to wake me by- 

 knocking at the window^ so as not to disturb the rest of 

 the house; then_, ordering the leg of mutton to be 

 placed on the table_, and putting a shovelful of coal on 

 the firOj I drew up the sofa, lit a pipe of golden-leaf, 

 and with my spaniel ran_, the beauty, curled up at my 

 feet, and Tim, her most jealous of husbands, warming 

 his nose on the fender, I was soon in dreamland. 



At some frightful hour of the night Master Bill came 

 hammering away at the shutters outside ; on letting that 

 worthy in, his nose or eyes, or both, instinctively dis- 

 covered the leg of mutton on the table. '^ The best 

 thing, sir, afore going out of a morning is to get yer 

 bellyful," he said, eyeing the joint meanwhile with a 

 most truculent look. " Well, then. Bill, you had better 

 £11 yours." I can assure my readers he needed no 

 further invitation, but, merely observing that he ^' didn^t 

 'mind if he did take a snack," forthwith, while I was 

 dressing, stowed away a good three pounds of meat, 

 leaving uncommonly little else but the bone and the 

 dish. Such a "snack" I certainly have never seen 

 taken since. 



We had to call on his brother on our way to the boat. 

 On arriving at his house. Bill knocked away for ten 

 minutes ; no answer. After a deal more hammering and 

 some little swearing, Ted appeared, looking very sleepy. 

 We found the boat all ready, with two good trusses of 

 hay aft, and one forward, and after stowing away the 

 contents of a hamper in a locker, and making fast the 

 punt astern, we up sail and away. 



And now that we are fairly started, a word or two 

 about our mode of proceedings, armament, &c. For my 

 part I had a double-barrelled 10-bore shoulder gun. 



