THE PICKWICK CLUB. 191
" Bravo, old fellow 1 " said Wardle to Mr. Tupnian ; " yon fired that time, at all events."
" Oh yes," replied Mr. Tupman, with conscious pride. " I let it off."
" Well done. You'll hit something next time, if you look sharp. Very easy, ain't it?"
" Yes, it's very easy," said Mr. Tupman. " How it hurts one's shoulder, though. It nearly knocked me backwards. I had no idea these small fire-arms kicked so."
"Ah," said the old gentleman, smiling; "you'll get used to it, in time. Now then — all ready — all right with the barrow there? "
« All right. Sir," replied Mr. Weller.
" Come along then."
" Hold hard. Sir," said Sam, raising the barrow,
" Aye, aye," replied Mr. Pickwick ; and on they went, as briskly as need be.
" Keep that barrow back now," cried Wardle, when it had been hoisted over a stile into another field, and Mr. Pickwick had been deposited in it once more.
" All right. Sir," replied Mr. Weller, pausing.
" Now Winkle," said the old gentleman, " follow me softly, and don't be too late this time."
" Never fear," said Mr. Winkle. " Are they pointing?"
" No, no ; not now. Quietly now, quietly." On they crept, and Tery quietly they would have advanced, if Mr. Winkle, in the perform- ance of some very intricate evolutions with his gun, had not accidentally fired, at the most critical moment, over the boy's head, exactly in the Tery spot where the tall man's brain would have been, had he been there instead.
" Why, what on earth did you do that for ? " said old Wardle, as the birds flew unharmed away.
" I never saw such a gun in my life," replied poor Winkle, looking at the lock, as if that would do any good. " It goes off, of its own accord. It will do it."
" Will do it ! " echoed Wardle, with something of irritation in bis manner. " I wish it would kill something of its own accord."
« It '11 do that afore long, Sir," observed the tall man, in a low, prophetic voice.
" What do you mean by that observation, Sir?" inquired Mr. Winkle, angrily.
"Never mind, Sir— never mind," replied the long gamekeeper; — " I've no family myself, Sir ; and this here boy's mother will get some- thing handsome from Sir Geoffrey, if he's killed on his land. Load again, Sir — load again."
" Take away his gun," cried Mr. Pickwick from the barrow, horror- stricken at the long man's dark insinuations. " Take away his gun, do you hear, somebody ? "
Nobody, however, volunteered to obey the command; and Mr.
