92 WILD FOWL SHOOTING. 



you -want me to go with you, I will promise to stay with 

 you as long as my shells last." 



" Very well, we will start in the morning about eight. 

 It's only two hours drive, and that will give us all the 

 time we want. How's that setter of yours — any good ? " 



'■'•Any good! Well, now, that's a nice question to 

 ask. ' Any good ! ' I should remark that he was. Why, 

 my dear man, that dog cost me one hundred dollars, 

 besides expressage. His grandfather was Old Rufus, a 

 dog that—" 



" Oh ! let up ! What do I care about his grandfather. 

 What I want to know is, whether he will work close, 

 stand staunchly, and retrieve ? " 



"If that's what you want to know, he won't re- 

 trieve ; wasn't brought up that way ; won't work close ; 

 wouldn't have a dog that would. But for being staunch ! 

 I want to tell you what he did one day. When I was 

 in Western Iowa last — " 



" That settles it ! If your dog won't retrieve, we don't 

 want him. As for what your dog did in Western Iowa — ■ 

 save that, and tell it at the Club. They will probably 

 be pleased to hear it. What gun are you going to 

 take? " 



"Think I will take my teii and one-half lb. hammer- 

 less ten-gauge. She's a dandy, full choke, extra close, 

 and at forty yards, with five drams powder, I can — " ^ 



" It don't make any difference to me what you can ' 

 do at forty yards. You don't take that gun. That's 

 your duck gun ; and if you were to follow me for three 

 hours, lugging that cannon, your wife wouldn't know 

 you. Why, man, you will be half the time in mud up 

 to your knees, and the weight of that gun, with shells, 

 would just about break your back, and paralyze your 



