w for a
dozen cock! hey, Tom? Here, couple up the setters, Tim; and let the
spaniels loose. Now Flash! now Dan! down charge, you little villains!"
and the well broke brutes dropped on the instant. "How must we beat this
cursed hole?"

"You must go through the very thick of it, consarn you!" exclaimed Tom;
"at your old work already, hey? trying to shirk at first!"

"Don't swear so! you old reprobate! I know my place, depend on it,"
cried Archer; "but what to do with the rest of you!--there's the rub!"

"Not a bit of it," cried Tom--"here, Yorkshire--Ducklegs--here, what's
your name--get away you with those big dogs--atwixt the swamp-hole, and
the brush there by the fence, and look out that you mark every bird to
an inch! You, Mr. Forester, go in there, under that butter-nut; you'll
find a blind track there, right through the brush--keep that 'twixt Tim
and Mr. Archer; and keep your eyes skinned, do! there'll be a cock up
before you're ten yards in. Archer, you'll go right through, and I'll..."

"You'll keep well forward on the right--and mind that no bird crosses to
the hill; we never get them, if they once get over. All right! In with
you now! Steady, Flash! steady! hie up, Dan!" and in a moment Harry was
out of sight among the brush-wood, though his progress might be traced
by the continual crackling of the thick underwood.

Scarce had I passed the butter-nut, when, even as Torn had said, up
flapped a woodcock scarcely ten yards before me, in the open path, and
rising heavily to clear the branches of a tall thorn bush, showed me his
full black eye, and tawny breast, as fair a shot as could be fancied.

"Mark!" holloaed Harry to my right, his quick ear having caught the flap
of the bird's wing, as he rose. "Mark cock--Frank!"

Well--steadily enough, as I thought, I pitched my gun up! covered my
bird fairly! pulled!--the trigger gave not to my finger. I tried the
other. Devil's in it, I had forgot to cock my gun! and ere I could
retrieve my error, the bird had topped the bush, and dodged out of
sight, and off--"Mark! mark!--Tim!" I shouted.

"Ey! ey! sur--Ay see's urn!"

"Why, how's that, Frank?" cried Harry. "Couldn't you get a shot?"

"Forgot to cock my gun!" I cried; but at the self-same moment the quick
sharp yelping of the spaniels came on my ear. "Steady, Flash! steady,
sir! Mark!" But close upon the word came the full round report of
Harry's gun. "Mark! again!" shouted Harry, and again his own piece sent