his crusty mood. "I guess the darned little critter's got three
barrels to his gun somehow; leastwise it seems to me, I swon, 'at he
fired her off three times without loadin' I guess I'll quit tryin' to
shoot agin Frank, to-day."

"I told you so!" said Harry to the Commodore, with a low laugh, and then
added aloud--"I think you may as well, Tom--for I don't believe the
fellow will miss another bird to-day."

And in truth, strange to say, it fell out, in reality, nearly as Archer
had spoken in jest. The whole party shot exceedingly well. The four
birds, which Tom and the Commodore had missed at the first start, were
found again in an old ragwort field, and brought to bag; and of the
twenty-three quail which Forester had marked down into the bog meadow,
not one bird escaped, and of that bevy not one bird did Frank miss,
killing twelve, all of them double shots, to his own share, and beating
Archer in a canter.

But that sterling sportsman cared not a stiver; too many times by far
had he had the field, too sure was he of doing the same many a time
again, to dislike being beaten once. Besides this, he was always the
least jealous shot in the world, for a very quick one; and, in this
instance, he was perhaps better pleased to see his friend "go in and
win," than he would have been to do the like himself.

Exactly at two o'clock, by A---'s repeater, the last bird was bagged;
making twenty-seven quail, forty-nine snipe, two ruffed grouse, and one
woodcock, bagged in about five hours.

"So far, this is the very best day's sport I ever saw," said Archer;
"and two things I have seen which I never saw before; a whole bevy of
quail killed without the escape of one bird, and a whole bevy killed
entirely by double shots, except the odd bird. You, A---, have killed
three double shots--I have killed three--Tom Draw one double shot, and
the odd bird; and Master Frank there, confound him, six double shots
running--the cleverest thing I ever heard of, and, in Forester's case,
the best shooting possible. I have missed one bird, you two, and Tom
three."

"But Tom beant a goin' to miss no more birds, I can tell you, boy. Tom's
drinked agin, and feels kind o' righter than he did--kind o' first best!
You'd best all drink, boys--the spring's handy, close by here; and after
we gits down acrost the road into the big swamp, and Hell-Hole, there
arn't a drop o' water fit to drink, till we gits way down to Aunt
Sally's big spring-hole, jest t