, doggedly.

"Vell, never mind, Dick, it's on'y vonce a-year, as the grotto-boys
says--"

"It need'nt to be; or I'll be shot if he mightn't vistle for the brads.
Howsomever, there's a hole in another suv'rin."

"Ve shall get through it the sooner," replied the consoling Spriggs. "I
see, Grubb, there aint a bit of the Frenchman about you"--

"Vy, pray?"

"Cos, you know, they're fond o' changing their suv'rins, and--you aint!"

The pleasant humour of Spriggs soon infected Grubb, and he resolved to be
jolly, and keep up the fun, in spite of the exorbitant charge for the
vegetable addenda to their supply of game.

"Come, don't look at the bill no more," advised Spriggs, "but treat it as
old Villiams does his servants ven they displeases him."

"How's that?"

"Vy, discharge it, to be sure," replied he.

This sage advice being promptly followed, the sportsmen, shouldering
their guns, departed in quest of amusement. They had not, however,
proceeded far on their way, before a heavy shower compelled them to take
shelter under a hedge.

"Werry pleasant!" remarked Spriggs.

"Keep your powder dry," said Grubb.

"Leave me alone," replied Spriggs; "and I think as we'd better pop our
guns under our coat-tails too, for these ere cocks aint vater-cocks, you
know! Vell, I never seed sich a rain. I'm bless'd if it vont drive all
the dickey-birds to their nestes."

"I vish I'd brought a numberella," said Grubbs.

"Lank! vot a pretty fellow you are for a sportsman!" said Spriggs, "it
don't damp my hardour in the least. All veathers comes alike to me, as
the butcher said ven he vos a slaughtering the sheep!"

Mr. Richard Grubb, here joined in the laugh of his good-humoured friend,
whose unwearied tongue kept him in spirits--rather mixed indeed than
neat--for the rain now poured down in a perfect torrent.

"I say, Dick," said Spriggs, "vy are ve two like razors?"

"Cos ve're good-tempered?"

"Werry good; but that aint it exactly--cos ve're two bright blades, vot
has got a beautiful edge!"

"A hexcellent conundrum," exclaimed Grubb. "Vere do you get 'em?'

"All made out of my own head,--as the boy said ven be showed the wooden
top-spoon to his father!"

CHAPTER VII.

A sudden Explosion--a hit by one of the Sportsmen, which the other takes
amiss.

A blustering wind arose, and like a burly coachman on mounting his box,
took up the rain!

The two crouching friends taking advantage of the cessation in