"Go and gather that bird, Frank, to save time; he lies
in the wagon rut, there. How now? down charge, you Chase, sir! what are
you about?"
The bird was quickly bagged, and Harry loaded. We stepped across a dry
ditch, and both dogs made game at the same instant.
"Follow the red dog, Frank!" cried Archer, "and go very slow; there are
birds here!"
And as he spoke, while the dogs were crawling along, cat-like, pointing
at every step, and then again creeping onward, up skirred two birds
under the very nose of the white setter, and crossed quite to the left
of Harry. I saw him raise his gun, but that was all; for at the
self-same moment one rose to me, and my ear caught the flap of yet
another to my right; five barrels were discharged so quickly, that they
made but three reports; I cut my bird well down, and looking quickly to
the left, saw nothing but a stream of feathers drifting along the wind.
At the same time, old Tom shouted on the right,
"I have killed two, by George! What have you done, boys?"
"Two, I!" said Archer. "Wait, Frank, don't you begin to load till one of
us is ready; there'll be another cock up, like enough. Keep your barrel;
I'll be ready in a jiffy!"
And well it was that I obeyed him, for at the squeak of the card, in its
descent down his barrel, another bird did rise, and was making off for
the open alders, when my whole charge riddled him; and instantly at the
report three more flapped up, and of course went off unharmed; but we
marked them, one by one, down in the grass at the wood edge.
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