is mouth! That's pretty, is it not?"

Again two rose, and both were killed; one by Tom, and one by Archer; my
gun hanging fire.

"That's nine birds down before we have bagged one," said Archer; "I hope
no more will rise, or we'll be losing these."

But this time his hopes were not destined to meet accomplishment, for
seven more woodcock got up, five of which were scattered in the grass
around us, wing-broken or dead, before we had even bagged the bird which
Shot was gently mouthing.

"I never saw anything like this in my life, Tom. Did you?" cried Harry.

"I never did, by George!" responded Tom. "Now do you think there's any
three men to be found in York, such darned etarnal fools as to be
willing to shoot a match agin us?"

"To be sure I do, lots of them; and to beat us too, to boot, you stupid
old porpoise. Why, there's Harry T--- and Nick L---, and a dozen more of
them, that you and I would have no more chance with, than a gallon of
brandy would have of escaping from you at a single sitting. But we have
shot pretty well, to-day. Now do, for heaven's sake, let us try to bag
them!"

And scattered though they were in all directions, among the most
infernal tangled grass I ever stood on, those excellent dogs retrieved
them one by one, till every bird was pocketed. We then beat on and swept
the rest of the meadow, and the outer verge of the alders, picking up
three more birds, making a total of seventeen brought to bag in less
than half an hour. We then proceeded to the wagon, took a good pull of
water from a beautiful clear spring by the road-side, properly qualified
with whiskey, and rattled on about one mile farther to the second
bridge. Here we again got out.

"Now, Tim," said Harry. "mark me well! Drive gently to the old barrack
yonder under the west-end of that wood-side, unhitch the horses and tie
them in the shade; you can give them a bite of meadow hay at the same
time; and then get luncheon ready. We shall be with you by two o'clock
at farthest."

"Ay, ay, sur!"

And off he drove at a steady pace, while we, striking into the meadow,
to the left hand of the road, went along getting sport such as I never
beheld, or even dreamed of before. For about five hundred yards in width
from the stream, the ground was soft and miry to the depth of some four
inches, with long sword-grass quite knee-deep, and at every fifty yards
a bunch of willows or swamp alders. In every clump of bushes we found
from three to f