Burr Junior | Page 6

one; but I knows of a beauty you'd give your ears to get."
"What is it?" cried Mercer eagerly.
"All bootiful green, with a head as red as carrots."
"Get out! Gammon! Think I don't know better than that? He means a
parrot he's seen in its cage."
"Nay, I don't," said the man. "I mean a big woodpecker down in Squire
Hawkus Rye's woods."
"Oh, Magg: get it for me!"
"Nay, I dunno as I can. Old Hopley's on the look-out for me, and if I
was to shoot that there bird, he'd swear it was a fezzan."
"Perhaps it is," said Mercer, laughing.
"Nay, not it, my lad," said the man, with a sly-looking smile. "If it was
a fezzan I shouldn't bring it to you."
"Why not? I should like to stuff it."
"Daresay you would, my lad, but if I did that, somebody would stuff
me."
"Ha, ha!" laughed Mercer. "You'd look well in a glass case, Magg."
"Shouldn't look well in prison," said the man, laughing. "Why, what'd

become o' the Doctor's taters?"
"Oh, bother the taters. I say, what about that gun, Magg?"
"What about what gun?" said the man softly, as he gave a sharp glance
round.
"Get out! You know."
"Whish!" said the man. "Don't you get thinking about no guns. I
wouldn't ha' showed it to you if I'd known. Why, if folks knew I had a
gun, there'd be no end of bother, so don't you say nothing about it
again."
"Well, then, sell it to me. Burr here's going to join me."
The man gave me a quick glance, and shook his head. "I don't sell
guns," he said.
"Then will you shoot that woodpecker for me?"
"Nay, I mustn't shoot, they'd say I was a poacher. I'll try and get it for
you, though, only it'll be a shilling."
"Can't afford more than ninepence, Magg."
"Ninepence it is then; I don't want to be hard on a young gentleman."
"But if it's all knocked to pieces and covered with blood, I shall only
give you sixpence."
"Oh, this'll be all right, sir."
"When shall you shoot it?"
"Ha'n't I told you I aren't going to shoot it?"
"How will you get it, then?"

"Put some salt on its tail," said the man grinning. "Get out! Here, I say,
could we catch some tench in the mill-pond to-day?"
"Mebbe yes, mebbe no."
"Well, we're going to try. You have some worms ready for me--a
penn'orth."
"Tuppence, sir."
"A penny. Why, you've just had a penny for nothing."
"All right, master. Going?"
"Yes, I'm showing him round," said Mercer. "Come along, Burry, we'll
go and see old Lomax now."
He led the way out of the kitchen garden, and round by a field where
the Doctor's Alderney cows were grazing, then through a shrubbery to
the back of the thatched cottage I had dimly seen as the fly drove by the
previous night.
"Left, right! Three quarters half face. As you never were. Left
counter-jumper march! Halt stare at pease!"
All this was shouted by Mercer as we approached the cottage door, and
had the effect of bringing out a stiff-looking, sturdy, middle-aged man
with a short pipe in his mouth, which he removed, carried one hand to
his forehead in a salute, and then stood stiff and erect before us, looking
sharply at me.
"Mornin', gentlemen," he said.
"Morning," cried Mercer. "'Tention! Parade for introductions. This is
Field-Marshal Commander-in-Chief Drill-master and Riding-master
Lomax. This is Burr junior, new boy, come to see you. I say, Lom, he's
going to be a soldier. His father was a soldier in India. He was killed at
what's-its-name?--Chilly winegar."

"Eh?" cried the old soldier. "Glad to see you, sir. Shake hands, and
welcome to your new quarters. Come inside."
"No, not now, I'm showing him round. We'll come another time, and
bring you some tobacco, and you shall tell us the story about the fight
with the Indian rajahs."
"To be sure I will, lads. Where are you going now?"
"Going? Let's see. Oh, I know. We'll go to Polly Hopley's."
"Ah, I suppose so. You boys are always going to Polly Hopley's.
Good-bye."
He shook hands with us, then drew himself up and saluted us
ceremoniously, and, as I glanced back, I could see him still standing
upright in his erect, military fashion.
"You'll like old As-you-were," said Mercer, as we went on, now along
the road. "The Doctor got hold of him cheap, and he does all sorts of
things. Cuts and nails the trees, and goes messages to the town. He's a
splendid chap to get things for you."
"But may we go right away like this?" I said, as I saw we were now far
from the grounds.
"Oh yes, to-day. He's