"Let's go and see," said Ernest.
The two boys and Remus turned out of the road and approached the spot where Romulus was hunting. Suddenly there was a whir of wings and a dark object flashed upward and disappeared among the trees.
For a moment Romulus and Remus both stood rigid, with heads and tails outstretched. Then they broke and disappeared in the woods. It was some little time before the boys could get them back again and started along the homeward road. The boys, breathless with running, had not spoken to each other, but now Ernest said:
"It was some kind of a bird, Jack. Did you notice?"
"Yes," said Jack. "Why, Ernest, they know how to hunt already."
"I guess it's instinct," said Ernest. "And did you see them point? They really did, for a minute, just like Sam's Nan, or the pictures in the books."
"Oh, Ernest," cried Jack, "we must take them hunting. Do you s'pose we could?"
"Sam could, anyway," said the older boy. "He said he'd train them."
The rest of the way home they talked of nothing but hunting and the wonderful achievements that were in store for the two dogs.
Mr. Whipple approved the plan to have Romulus and Remus trained. A good dog, in his eyes, was a dog that was good for something, and he recognized the value of a well-trained bird dog though he had no desire to see the boys become too fond of hunting themselves.