"
"Nothing like patience and perseverance, Humphrey. You've more than I
have."
"I'm sure he has more than I have, or shall ever have, I'm afraid,"
replied Edward.
During this winter, which passed rapidly way very few circumstances of
any consequence occurred. Old Jacob was more or less confined to the
cottage by the rheumatism, and Edward hunted either by himself or
occasionally with Humphrey. Humphrey was fortunate enough to take a
bull and a cow calf in his pitfall, both of them about a year or
fifteen months old, and by a rude invention of his, by way of
windlass, contrived, with the assistance of Edward, to hoist them
uninjured out of the pit. They were put into the yard, and after
having been starved till they were tamed, they followed the example of
the heifer and calf, and became quite tame. These were an important
addition to their stock, as may well be imagined. The only mishap
under which they labored was, old Jacob's confinement to the cottage,
which, as the winter advanced, prevented him from going to Lymington;
they could not, therefore, sell any venison; and Humphrey, by way of
experiment, smoked some venison hams, which he hung up with the
others. There was another point on which they felt anxiety, which was,
that Jacob could not cross the forest to get the puppies which had
been promised them, and the time was passed, for it was now January,
when he was to have called for them.
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