76 How I Became a Sportsmax. 



I was ready they were all gone but one, which 

 I hit very hard. " He'll tower," said Ben ; 

 and so he did, and fell, as they always do, 

 stone dead and on his back. 



The birds were now well scattered. Ben 

 had marked them all down, and I ought to 

 have killed every one of them ; but the ex- 

 citement was a little too much for me ; and 

 I will make a clean breast of it, and admit 

 at once that I bungled most fearfully. I 

 crippled two birds, which we got with the 

 help of the terrier, who squeezed one of them 

 so hard as to expose what he had been having 

 for breakfast, and only killed one bird clean 

 and well. Doll behaved admirably, but was 

 beginning to show signs of her condition, or 

 rather, the want of it. She soon after began 

 to confine her pace to a trot, and ended by 

 coming to heel. '' Hold up, Doll," only suc- 

 ceeded in getting her to start off for a few 

 yards, when she came back again. She had 

 done her best, but Nature cried " Enough. 

 Take her up, Ben, and let her have a rest." 

 My London friend most good-naturedly offered 

 to lead her, and we determined to let the 

 terrier loose, and do the best we could with her. 



