m Draw's gun, as I well believe, was at his
shoulder when they rose; at least his first shot was discharged before
they had flown half a rood, and of course harmlessly: the charge must
have been driven through them like a single ball; his second barrel
instantly succeeded, and down came two birds, caught in the act of
crossing. I am myself a quick shot, too quick if anything, yet my first
barrel was exploded a moment after Tom Draw's second; the other
followed, and I had the satisfaction of bringing both my birds down
handsomely; then up went Harry's piece--the bevy being now twenty or
twenty-five yards distant--cocking it as it rose, he pulled the trigger
almost before it touched his shoulder, so rapid was the movement; and,
though he lowered the stock a little to cock the second barrel, a moment
scarcely passed between the two reports, and almost on the instant two
quail were fluttering out their lives among the bog grass.

Dropping his butt, without a word, or even a glance to the dogs, he
quietly went on to load; nor indeed was it needed: at the first shot
they dropped into the grass, and there they lay as motionless as if they
had been dead, with their heads crouched between their paws; nor did
they stir thence till the tick of the gun-locks announced that we again
were ready. Then lifting up their heads, and rising on their fore-feet,
they sat half erect, eagerly waiting for the signal.

"Hold up, good lads!" and on they drew, and in an instant pointed on two
several birds. "Fetch!" and each brought his burthen to our feet; six
birds were bagged at that rise, and thus before eleven o'clock we had
picked up a dozen cock, and within one of the same number of fine quail,
with only two shots missed. The poor remainder of the bevy had dropped,
singly, and scattered, in the red bushes, whither we instantly pursued
them, and where we got six more, making a total of seventeen birds
bagged out of a bevy, twenty strong at first.

One towered bird of Harry's, certainly killed dead, we could not with
all our efforts bring to bag; one bird Tom Draw missed clean, and the
remaining one we could not find again; another dram of whiskey, and into
Seer's great swamp we started: a large piece of woodland, with every
kind of lying. At one end it was open, with soft black loamy soil,
covered with docks and colts-foot leaves under the shade of large but
leafless willows, and here we picked up a good many scattered woodcock;
afterward