stern moves a little; he draws
on again.

There! he is sure now! what a picture--his black full eye intently
glaring, though he cannot see any thing in that thick mass of herbage;
his nostril wide expanded, his lips slavering from intense excitement;
his whole form motionless, and sharply drawn, and rigid, even to the
straight stern and lifted foot, as a block wrought to mimic life by some
skilful sculptor's chisel; and, scarce ten yards behind, his
liver-colored comrade backs him--as firm, as stationary, as immovable,
but in his attitude, how different! Chase feels the hot scent steaming up
under his very nostril; feels it in every nerve, and quivers with anxiety
to dash on his prey, even while perfectly restrained and steady. Shot, on
the contrary, though a few minutes since he too was drawing, knows
nothing of himself, perceives no indication of the game's near presence,
although improved by discipline, his instinct tells him that his mate
has found them. Hence the same rigid form, stiff tail, and constrained
attitude, but in his face--for dogs have faces--there is none of that
tense energy, that evident anxiety; there is no frown upon his brow, no
glare in his mild open eye, no slaver on his lip!

"Come up, Tom; come up, Frank, they are all here; we must get in six
barrels; they will not move: come up, I say!"

And on we came, deliberately prompt, and ready. Now we were all in line:
Harry the centre man, I on the right, and Tom on the left hand. The
attitude of Archer was superb; his legs, set a little way apart, as firm
as if they had been rooted in the soil; his form drawn back a little,
and his head erect, with his eye fixed upon the dogs; his gun held in
both hands, across his person, the muzzle slightly elevated, his left
grasping the trigger guard; the thumb of the right resting upon the
hammer, and the fore-finger on the trigger of the left hand barrel; but,
as he had said, neither cocked. "Fall back, Tom, if you please, five
yards or so," he said, as coolly as if he were unconcerned, "and you
come forward, Frank, as many; I want to drive them to the left, into
those low red bushes; that will do: now then, I'll flush them; never
mind me, boys, I'll reserve my fire."

And, as he spoke, he moved a yard or two in front of us, and under his
very feet, positively startling me by their noisy flutter, up sprang the
gallant bevy: fifteen or sixteen well grown birds, crowding and jostling
one against the other. To