crunching of the snow under their feet as they approached. "Hullo, ther'! Wut be at wi' the vauld?"

"We've lost our way on the downs to-night, that's all. We came upon your fold by good luck; may we sit down till the storm's over?"

The shepherd looked somewhat suspiciously at them at first, but then moved aside.

"Ees, ee med cum in. But 'twunt last long this starm." So they entered the cottage, a low two-roomed place, the living-room opening to the outer air, in which they found the shepherd's wife, and tailless dog, a small, carefully-nursed fire, and the tea-things laid.

The occasion was just the one for the elder traveller, and he proved quite equal to it. Under his influence the shepherd's wife bustled about, and the fire was piled up with as much fuel of old fagots, coke, and cinders as would have lasted the worthy couple a fortnight; the kettle sung and puffed away at the unwonted stimulant administered to him; the three mugs of the establishment were produced, and Johnny brought out a flask from his knapsack, full of good brandy. The coats were shaken by the shepherd, and hung up on pegs to dry, and in five minutes' time the whole party was settled down, the hosts to their tea, and the guests to a mug of grog each.

"Well, Johnny, this is n't a bad change from the Downs, eh? Look here, ma'am; let me put a drop of brandy in your tea; you can't think what a good thing it is. Eh, shepherd, you'll try my prescription, too, won't you?”

"Ef you plaase, zur. Ah, it do 'mazingly flavor th' tea; d'wont it, Betty? Wun't you tek' nothin' to yeat, zur? You be raal welcum to 't."

"No, thankee; we fed at Lilburne. But if your wife does n't mind smoking —”

"Blessee, noa, zur. Do 'ee light up. Hur be terrible vond o' th' smell o' baccur, tho' hur dwon't zmoke."

"But you do, shepherd?"

"Lord, ees, zur."

"Then you must take some of my stock"; and, suiting the action to the word, he emptied his big pouch on the table, and, separating the contents, pushed about two thirds over towards the shepherd, whose eyes glistened at the sight.

"'T is very kind o' you, zur; but, can 'ee spare 't?"

"Yes, yes, there's plenty more where that came from. And, now you've done your tea, draw round, and brew a good mug of that stuff. Don't be afraid of it; it won't hurt you, nor you, ma'am, either, such a night as this. Your health, ma'am; your health, shepherd; and yours, Johnny, and a merry Christmas to you all."

"The zaam to you, gen'l'men, and many ov 'em."

The shepherd drinks, and passes the mug to his wife, and then produces a short black pipe, which he fills, and sucks at with evident delight, Herbert watching him. "There's nothing so comforting, when one's out with the sheep at nights, as a pinch of good tobacco, eh, shepherd?"

"Ther' beant, zur. But how do 'ee cum to know 't?" "Oh! I'm a shepherd myself."

"Noa, be 'ee though? Thee dost n't look like one, zur. Wut zart o' vlock's yourn, zur?"

"I've three or four, of a thousand each."

"Vour thousand zhep! I hopes you 've got volks wi' some gumption in 'em, zur, to look arter 'em these cowld nights."

"O, it's lambing time with us, and we never have any nights like this."

Shepherd chuckles, and looks incredulous.

"You don't believe me, I see, shepherd."

"I never heer'd tell o' lambin' much afore Easter."

"But you don't understand. It's summer now where I live."

"Zummer at Christmas time! a martal queer time o' year

for zummer, zur.”

"Yes, real hot summer."

"Wher do 'ee live, then, zur?"

"On the other side of the world. In New South Wales."

"Dear heart! and zo 't is zummer in them parts at Christmas time? Well, 't is mighty curous to think on, now."

"Do'st mind, Jonas, as Mrs. Gibbins said, as her son as wur transported wrote from Botany Bay as the seasons wur

all got wrong ther? Zo a zend to zay."

"You dwon't cum from Botany Bay, zur, do 'ee?"

"Well, it's in the same part of the world. But we're not returned convicts, if that's what you mean."

Shepherd glances at his wife, and seems much relieved. "But you may depend upon it, that's the place for us shepherds. What would you say now to fifty pounds a year, and your keep, with as much beef and mutton as you could eat? You don't get anything like that in the old country."

Shepherd stops smoking and opens his eyes, "Vifty pound a year!'

"Ay, every penny of it, and not a bit too much. I should like to know who ought to be well paid if the shepherd is n't.

'If 't was n't for the sheep and the poor shepherd,
The world would be starved and naked,'

you know."

"So you knows th' owld zhearing zong?"

"No, I only know a line or two that I 've picked up from my friend here. I should like to hear it of all things. Can't you give it us?"

The shepherd looks shy, but, after a little persuasion from his wife, who declares that he is noted for singing, he clears his throat and croons out:

"Zeng, bwoys, zeng, a zhepherd's as happy as a lord,

And a zhep 's the vinest creetur owld England can afford,
And, if you listens vor a while, the truth I zoon will tell 'ee,
'T is clothin' to the back, my bwoys, and linin' to the belly.
The zhepherd stands beneath the bush, a-shiverin' and shakin',

If 't was n't vor th' zhep and th' poor zhepherd th' world 'd go starved and naked.

All along the winter time we gives our zhep some hay,

Keps fodderin' and fodderin' on until the month of May.
And, when the month of May cums in, if the weather should prove fine,
The little lambs will skip and play, and plaase the zhepherd's mind.
And, when the month of June cums in, if the weather should prove hot,
We teks the clothin' off their backs, while the pudding 's in the pot.
And then agen at night, my bwoys, together we will zeng,

For a zhepherd lives as happy as ever a prince or king."

"Thank you. I shall carry the old song back to the other side of the world. Now, shepherd, come, take another glass. The brandy is n't out, you see."

The shepherd, after some coquetting, makes another mixture in his cup, and hands it to his wife, who puts down her knitting, and gets up to make a little courtesy, and say, "Your health, gentl'men." The shepherd takes a drink. "Ah! it zims to do a body good, that do, now, the heart into 'un, zur."

to put

"I'm glad you like it. You must have a hard life of it up here on the downs at times."

“Ah, 't is, zur, I assure 'ee, and I had ought to know. Nigh varty year, man and bwoy, I 've ben a zheperdin', and afore that I wur bird-kepin', when I wur quite a leetel 'un. I allus liked bird-kepin', and I 've zhot a zite on 'em wi' th' owld king's-arm as maester kep vor 't."

"What was the best shot you ever made, now?”

"Well, zur, I'll tell 'ee. It wur at th' rooks, and, ef you knows about bird-kepin', you minds how keen the rooks be at seedin' time, to light and snicker about wher' thaay can see arra bit ov a scratch, specially in the mornin's. So I casts about in my yead- I haint got much book-larnin', but I've got a yead on m' zhoulders as answers to 't- how to

cotch 'em, cos' 'em be aggravatin' birds, plaguey cunnin' let 'em be never zo lear. One mornin' afore light I hucks up a bit o' ground right afore the barn ther', and drows a handful o' zeed corn auver the scratch, and gets inside zo as um med n't zee m', and then puts two pipes-full o' powder, and a'mwoast all the shot as I'd got, into the gun, and waits. Arter a bit I hears one on 'em a cawin' up above, and then down a cums, plump. Th' owld wosbird teks a look at th' barn, but both doors was wide open, zo as a' could zee right droo. Zo a gevs a caw as tho' 'twur all right (a could n't zee I, for a bit o' straw as I'd got round m') and falls to hisself, and, a'most afore you could look, the scratch wur all black wi' 'em, scrouging and cawin' together. Then I zets up zoftly and teks a long breath, and zhuts m' eyes, and pulls. A went off wi' th' mwost all-fired noise, and kicked I fit to bust. Wen I cum to, and zet up in the straw, and could look out, 'Lord,' sez I, 'wut! haint I killed not one on 'em?' Then I hears a floppeting behind m', and turns round. You zee, zur, th' owld king's-arm had took and kicked I right round, zo as I wur looking out o' t'other door o' the barn wen I cum to."

66

"O yes, shepherd, I dare say.”

"Well, but when you got faced round again to the right door what had you done?"

"Lord, zur, the ground wur all black wi' 'em, mostly dead, but zum on 'em hobblin' about, - more nor dree-score on 'em -"

The shepherd is interrupted by the laughter of the younger of his guests.

"You med b'leeve m' or not, as you plazes, zur.”

"Threescore rooks at a shot. What do you say to that, ma'am?"

""Twur afore my time, zur, but I never heerd Jonas tell it no other waay."

"Well, it would take a big whale to swallow you, Jonas."