ive birds, and as the shooting was for the most part very
open, we rendered on the whole a good account of them. The dogs
throughout behaved superbly, and Tom was altogether frantic with the
excitement of the sport. The time seemed short indeed, and I could not
for a moment have imagined that it was even noon, when we reached the
barrack.

This was a hut of rude, unplaned boards, which had been put up formerly
with the intent of furnishing a permanent abode for some laboring men,
but which, having been long deserted, was now used only as a temporary
shelter by charcoal burners, haymakers, or like ourselves, stray
sportsmen. It was, however, though rudely built, and fallen considerably
into decay, perfectly beautiful from its romantic site; for it stood
just at the end of a long tangled covert, with a huge pin oak-tree,
leaning abruptly out from an almost precipitous bank of yellow sand,
completely canopying it; while from a crevice in the sand-stone there
welled out a little source of crystal water, which expanded into as
sweet a basin as ever served a Dryad for her bath in Arcady, of old.

Before it stretched the wide sweep of meadow land, with the broad blue
Wallkill gliding through it, fringed by a skirt of coppice, and the high
mountains, veiled with a soft autumnal mist, sleeping beyond, robed in
their many-colored garb of crimson, gold, and green. Besides the spring
the indefatigable Tim had kindled a bright glancing fire, while in the
basin were cooling two long-necked bottles of the Baron's best; a clean
white cloth was spread in the shade before the barrack door, with plates
and cups, and bread cut duly, and a traveling case of cruets, with all
the other appurtenances needful.

On our appearance he commenced rooting in a heap of embers, and soon
produced six nondescript looking articles enclosed--as they dress
maintenon cutlets or red mullet--in double sheets of greasy letter
paper--these he incontinently dished, and to my huge astonishment they
turned out to be three couple of our woodcock, which that indefatigable
varlet had picked, and baked under the ashes, according to some strange
idea, whether original, or borrowed at second hand from his master, I
never was enabled to ascertain.

The man, be he whom he may, who invented that plat, is second neither to
Caramel nor to Ude--the exquisite juicy tenderness of the meat, the
preservation of the gravy, the richness of the trail--by heaven! they
were inimita