By the cold light of the full moon we wended homeward, rejoicing in
the possession of twenty-six couple and a half of cock, twelve brace of
quail--we found another bevy on our way home and bagged three birds
almost by moonlight--five ruffed grouse, and a rabbit. Before our wet
clothes were well changed, supper was ready, and a good blow-out was
followed by sound slumbers and sweet dreams, fairly earned by nine hours
of incessant walking.
DAY THE THIRD
So thoroughly was I tired out by the effects of the first day's fagging
I had undergone in many months, and so sound was the slumber into which
I sank the moment my head touched the pillow, that it scarcely seemed as
if five minutes had elapsed between my falling into sweet forgetfulness,
and my starting bolt upright in bed, aroused by the vociferous shout,
and ponderous tramping, equal to nothing less than that of a full-grown
rhinoceros, with which Tom Draw rushed, long before the sun was up, into
my chamber.
"What's this, what's this now?" he exclaimed; "why the plague arn't you
up and ready?--why here's the bitters mixed, and Archer in the stable
this half hour past, and Jem's here with the hounds--and you, you lazy
snorting Injun, wasting the morning here in bed!"
My only reply to this most characteristic salutation, was to hurl my
pillow slap in his face, and--threatening to follow up the missile with
the contents of the water pitcher, which stood temptingly within my
reach, if he did not get out incontinently--to jump up and array myself
with all due speed; for, when I had collected my bewildered thoughts, I
well remembered that we had settled on a fox-hunt before breakfast, as a
preliminary to a fresh skirmish with the quail.
Pages:
42
43
44
45
46
47
48
49
50
51
52
53
54
55
56
57
58
59
60
61
62
63
64
65
66