Scarcely an hundred yards had we
proceeded, before we sprung the finest bevy of the largest quail I had
yet seen, and flying high and wild crossed half-a-dozen fields in the
direction of the village, whence we had started, and pitched at length
into an alder brake beside the stream.
"Them chaps has gone the right way," Tom exclaimed, with a deep sigh,
who had with wondrous difficulty refrained from firing into them, though
he was loaded with buckshot; "right in the course we count to take this
forenoon. Now, Squire, keep to the left here, take your station by the
old earths there away, under the tall dead pine; and you, Bill, make
tracks there, straight through the middle cart-way, down to the other
meadow, and sit you down right where the two streams fork; there'll be
an old red snooping down that side afore long, I reckon. We'll go on,
Mr. Forester; here's a big rail fence now; I'll throw off the top rail,
for be darned if I climb any day when I can creep--there, that'll do, I
reckon; leastwise if you can ride like Archer--he d--ns me always if I
so much as shakes a fence afore he jumps it--you've got the best horse,
too, for lepping. Now let's see! Well done! well done!" he continued,
with a most boisterous burst of laughter--"well done, horse, any how!"--
as Peacock, who had been chafing ever since he parted from his comrade
Bob, went at the fence as though he were about to take it in his stroke
--stopped short when within a yard of it, and then bucked over it,
without touching a splinter, although it was at least five feet, and
shaking me so much, that, greatly to Tom's joy, I showed no little
glimpse of day-light.
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