MMMMM iaB f / % Bi THE LIBRARY OF THE UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA LOS ANGELES THE EXPERIENCES GAME PRESERVER. BY DEADFALL," OF " THE FIELD." LONDON : HORACE COX, 346, STRAND, W.C. 1868. LOKDOS: PRINTED BT HOKACB COX, 8TKAHI), W.C. s INTRODUCTION. To a sportsman, dry details of facts tending to his instruction in a favourite pursuit are usually acceptable ; and this being the case, the conveying of that instruction, by introducing on to the scene persons and things partly the creation of the Author's inventive powers, may appear an anomaly, as sporting subjects are not usually looked upon as pills requiring much gilding. Writing this little book has been a source of very great amuse- ment to the Author. The events narrated have, in most of the cases, happened within his own knowledge. The keepers and poachers are, generally, portraits. In the case of the latter class a recognition by the individual himself followed the appearance of his name (of course disguised) in the article in the Field, where it was introduced. With these few preliminary words the Author confides his unpretending exertions to the notice of an indulgent public. May, 1868. 880795 CONTENTS. CHAPTER I. Purchase of Estate Engaging Keeper His Name and Description Wages, " Vermin Money," and House Kennels Temperature for Guns and Powder Keeper carrying a Gun Description of Vermin Traps ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... page 1 CHAPTER II. Inspection of Estate Sheep Curs Cottage of a " Gun Man " Descrip- tion of Shooting Coat and Gun Moor Wadding used by Poacher Visit to a " Freeholder " 8 CHAPTER III. Inspection of Plantations Prints of Vermin in soft Ground Walls, Gates, and Mouses Bars of Gates off and Mouses stopped Finding old Supports for " Hangs " " Keeper's Tree " " Dog-wires " in Plantation Magpies and Carrion-Crows Covey of Partridges " jugging " Flock of Sheep apparently frightened Ascertain Cause Description of various Kinds of Nets Keeper's Telescope 14 CHAPTER IV. Vermin Calls Strychnine Engagement of George Oakes as Under- Keeper Magpie Battue in Evening Fixing spare Bars in Gates Visit from Arden, a neighbouring Keeper Shooting from left Shoulder 21 CHAPTER V. Securing Mouses in Walls Keeper's " Running-Dog " Offer of live Hares by Mr. Long Description of Nets and Apparatus A Night's Long-Netting Performances of Dog " Gate " Netting Mouse or "Purse" Nets Netting without Dog -8 VI CONTENTS. CHAPTER VI. Rabbits " clapping " Running Hiiro* into Net Localities whore those caught wore turned down Rabbits also Scourflold (tho Poacher) and Friend Old Ironstone-getter Thornton disguised Poachers shooting Grouse Calling with a Tobacco Pipe Figuro-of-Four Traps Mud on Wall Steel Trap how sot page 35 CHAPTER VII. " Figure-of-Four Traps," and how baited Stool Trap on Wall Long "Dead-Falls" Neighbouring Battue Indian Corn Pheasant Stacks Wood-Pigeons giving an Alarm Other Sorts of Grain for Pheasants Posts and Rails to protect against " Long-netting " Partridges and their " Jugging " Places " Bushing " tho Ground Proper Materials for tho Purpose Different Kinds of Partridge Nets 41 CHAPTER VIII. Pheasant Stacks ; how constructed Marking Rides in Covert Tres- passer detected Randall and Scourfield appearing before the Magis- trates The Dress and Appearance of my Keepers Ruse on tho Part of Thornton Evidence before Magistrates Description of Poacher's Gun A stupid Witness in another Case 47 CHAPTER IX. Oakes catches some Poachers Ferreting Rabbits Long " Dead- Fall ;" how made Snow, Hares not moving in Freeholder shooting the Hares Sheep in Snow-Drift 54 CHAPTER X. Thornton and Oakes make Friends with Mr. Serley Ardcn's Anecdote of Poachers in the Snow Poisoning Carrion-Crows and Magpies We watch them take the Poison Rooks taking Ejjgs Plovers dis- criminating between Rooks and Crows Feeding Hares and Rabbits and Grouse Hares frequenting public Roads ... ... ... ... 61 CHAPTER XL Mr. Houston finds Hangs set in a casual Walk Consultation with Thornton, and his Proposal for discovering tho Poacher Arrangement with Farm Tenant Discrimination on tho Part of Oakes He catches tho Setter of the Hangs ... t being preserved anywhere round it, the magpies had made it a breeding-place for years, and they lost their hen-eggs by scores. The locality was about four miles off, but, as the pursuit of magpies was rather a favourite diversion with me, I not only said I would come myself but would bring Thornton also. Taking a boy with us to stand by the horse, and a rug to throw over him, off we started the next day. The man met us at the plan- tation (which we found was nearer twenty acres than twelve), and we all three proceeded to search for nests. The old birds must be sitting deep, we knew, or some of them must, in fact, have hatched. A nest was soon found, and I was whispering directions to the man as to hitting the tree with a stick, when there was a slight rustle at the nest, and off the old bird started. Bang ! and down she came brushing through the trees. " A smart shot that of yours, Thornton." " Middling, sir," said Mr. T., with a complacent smile of conscious skill on his countenance however. " Shall we pull out the nest ?" I asked. " Not worth while, sir, so far from home," was Thornton's reply. Within a hundred yards we came to another nest, and I was expecting the same process. The man hit the tree. THE EXPERIENCES OF A GAME PRESERVER. 127 " Not on," I said. "Wait a bit, sir," replied the keeper. The man struck the tree again, but nothing stirred. " Can you swarm ?" I asked, " because one would like to see if there are eggs or young ones in the nest." "Not much to reckon on, sir," he replied ; "I used to could at one time, but I get stiff like." A thought occurred to me that I should send for the lad who was taking care of the horse ; so the man went for him, and took the precaution to bring the horse and cart inside the plantation, and secure him to one of the trees. The boy seemed much elated at the prospect afforded him of showing his skill in swarming, and in a very few minutes he was half-way up to the nest. I had put down my gun, making sure that no magpie that ever existed could stand the noise of small branches snapping off beneath her, to say nothing of the shaking of the tree caused by the exertions of the young gentleman alluded to. "You had better be ready, sir," said Thornton. "I've seen 'em let you get right up to the nest before they'd start." "Well, I'm sure she's not there now," I answered. The lad had by this time got nearly to his destination, and in fact was investigating the nest with a view to find the aperture through which the old magpie entered, when he suddenly exclaimed, " Here her is! Mind me !" I could hardly credit it, but out she most certainly did burst. Bang! and a muttered exclamation from Mr. Thornton, followed instantly by bang ! again. "I missed her that time, I doubt, sir," said Henry; "but it was about as awkward a spot to shoot as one could well have. I saw her appear at the hole as she went off ; but I daren't shoot for fear of hitting Michael. I fancied, too, I was fair on with the second barrel, though I know I shot a bit behind her with the first. It's a mess ; but it can't be helped." The boy meanwhile had descended the tree, and was busy brush- ing off the bits of lichen and moss from his clothes. 128 THE EXPERIENCES OP A GAME PRESERVER. " Hark ! what a queer noise," I remarked. It resembled the sound cr-r-r-r-r, repeated at a few momenta' interval. Thornton went on a few yards in the direction whence the noise came. 4 " All right, sir ! She's here. I couldn't help fancying it was a bit strange if I missed her clean." So far we had done pretty well ; but the magpies having had a very long and uninterrupted reign, it was no very difficult matter to find another nest. The one we had just disposed of contained six eggs, and they were close on the point of hatching, which fully accounted for the old bird being so unwilling to go off. I could not have believed any bird would sit so deep had I not seen what I did ; but Thornton said it was a very common occurrence, especially with magpies. Carrion- crows, though they may allow the tree to be struck several times consecutively, and even stones to be thrown at the nest, will not stand a person offering to swarm the tree without leaving it. Thornton suggested (and I thought with a good deal of reason) that a carrion-crow sitting on an open nest is conscious that she may be seen ; but that, as long as her tree is not actually climbed, the enemy may have a doubt about it. The latter operation at once convinces her that she has probably been perceived, and then away she flies. Now a magpie is utterly invisible from below when sit- ting, and she takes care she shall continue so as long as there is a chance. On blowing aside the feathers on the breast of the last magpie, a bare place, as large as half the palm of one's hand, was visible, and it was quite white and puckered, as if there was a deposit of water just under the skin. The feathers must have been worn off by the long-continued operation of sitting, for no feathers are ever used in the lining of a magpie's nest. The dry fibrous roots of grasses are invariably employed. I have mentioned the fact that we had very soon discovered another nest, and I had been warned by my keeper that I might expect at any time a very opposite line of conduct on the part of THE EXPERIENCES OP A GAME PBESEEVEB. 129 an old magpie to what had just been displayed ; consequently we approached the nest next discovered with our guns all ready. " Yon's it, sir," whispered the man, pointing to a very full-blown specimen of a nest. The words were hardly uttered when there was a rustle, followed by the instant appearance of the old magpie. My gun was thrown up to the shoulder and the trigger pulled all in one movement, and, to my very intense satisfaction, the magpie fell knocked all to "smithereens!" I could not help rushing forward to pick up the bird, but you may judge of my disappointment when I saw Thornton coolly loading again. "Why, surely you did not shoot?" I exclaimed. " Yes I did, sir," said Thornton, " but I don't think there was much occasion, for you'd have nailed her dead enough without me. Of course I know better than to shoot at the same time as a gentle- man when it's game, but with them things it doesn't do to miss any chances." " Of course not," I said ; " and that old magpie caught it sharply between us." When I came to reflect, however, I could not stifle the accusation of my own conscience, which told me, as plain as it could speak, that I was not "fair on " to a yard when I pulled the trigger ; and if it was my shot that killed the magpie it must have been a desperate " fluke," and the gun must have spread more than I had ever pre- viously given it credit for. Thornton, of course, as in duty bound, persisted in saying it was all my doing, and in the presence of the farmer and the boy I did not gainsay it. We followed up our diversion with very considerable success, and out of thirteen nests we accounted for nine old birds, of which number I did certainly kill three in very good style. Two nests had young ones in, which we threw down, and two old magpies were missed, though I am happy to say not by myself, as I did not shoot in either instance, and really they were almost impossible shots for anyone to hit. Altogether I passed a most agreeable day. and was quite sorry 130 THE EXPERIENCES OF A QAME PBE8ERVEB. when it was ended and we had to return home. Having arrived at the " Black Inclosure " I told the boy to drive the cart home, and Thornton and myself would take a walk round to see if any hares were out feeding. In one of the fields was a brace of hares very near to the wall, and we sat down to watch if any more would come out. In about a quarter of an hour a rabbit made his appear- ance, and after inspecting the two hares for a short time he made a dash at the nearest one to him, and pursued it fairly for at least fifty yards, when it escaped into the wood. He took no notice of the other hare, but began feeding on his own account. Thornton much wanted to get a shot at him, but the instant he stirred the rabbit withdrew from the scene. Thornton remarked that it was very provoking that the rabbits should have spread so far as this plantation, for it was our best hare ground, and they could never agree together. He knew of an old rabbit burrow about a couple of hundred yards in, and we went to see if it was used. There was undoubtedly some fresh scratching about it, and the burrow itself seemed padded. I made a mental resolve that I would be beforehand with Thornton and catch this rabbit, but did not tell him as much. That very same evening I returned to the spot with a steel trap, which I set at the burrow and covered it carefully over with sand. I had previously sent Thornton in ' a totally different direction, so that I might have the whole affair strictly to myself. The next morning off I started to look at the trap, and what was my surprise when I found it was gone ! I searched about, and at last I detected a movement among the heath about fifty yards off. On going to the spot I was horrified to find a poor hare in the trap, and one of her fore-legs badly broken. I took out my knife, and, after considerable difficulty, secured the hare and cut off the leg, which was held fast by the principal sinew. She went off at a famous pace, but it was a shocking fracture, and I was more annoyed than I could express. As soon as I met Thornton I told him of this mischance, and he showed no surprise at it, but said that in the spring and early THE EXPERIENCES OP A GAME PRESERVER. 131 summer months it is very dangerous to set steel traps at rabbit holes unless they are put very far down, for hares, and especially the jacks, are most inquisitive, and will potter about on dry sandy mounds almost as commonly as rabbits do ; and if the trap set for rabbits happens to be tolerably clear of the mouth of the burrow, you may catch a hare almost as certainly as if you set in a " run " on purpose. He said that it was a pity I had not told him of my intention the afternoon previously, as he would have forewarned me of the pos- sible consequences. As to the rabbit, he meant to wait for him with a gun that evening. 132 THE EXPEBIENCE8 OF A GAME PRESERVES. CHAPTER XXI. " Travelling " Poachers Oakes and Broadley see them at the Town Sponge in Cart Ruse of the two Keepers Description of the Poachers. THE post one morning brought me a letter from an old friend, con- taining the offer of a retriever, which he was parting with solely on account of giving up shooting ; and so convinced was my correspon- dent that the dog would suit me that he went on to say he had consulted the time-table and found the dog would be delivered at our town about half -past eleven; but he cautioned me that it was a savage and uncertain-tempered animal, and that I had better be cautious who I sent for it. I had determined to undertake the task myself, but, on second thoughts, came to the conclusion that I had better perhaps take some one who was more accustomed to dogs (and especially strange ones); consequently I sent in to Oakes's cottage, and luckily found that he was at home. Having ordered the horse to be put in the Whitechapel, Oakes started off a short cut across the land, telling me he would join me a mile away on the road. A few minutes' drive discovered my under keeper seated on a gate waiting my arrival. We drove on for a short distance, and suddenly Oakes, who had his eyes always sharply about him, exclaimed, " There's Henry, sir, and I think he wants to speak to you." That worthy was observed running towards us along a hedge-side, evidently wishing for an interview. "Well, Thornton?" " Good morning, sir ; I beg pardon for stopping you, but are you going to Amcoats ? " "Yes," I replied. " Then, if you see any of the keepers, will you please tell 'em that I've just met Morewood, and he says that there's two men stopping THE EXPERIENCES OP A GAME PRESERVER. 133 somewhere about these parts as drives out almost every day in a spring cart. They've got a gun, and a sort of retrieving snap with 'em, and they're nailing the hares by odd 'uns all up and down- Old hares and leverets seems all alike to 'em. Morewood says he's known of 'em a goodish bit, and hasn't told the neighbouring keepers because he wanted to catch the two rascals himself, but he can't manage it. He saw 'em fire a shot last evening, and no doubt, he says, they ' gathered,' for they both stood up in the cart after the gun went off, and drove at a foot's pace, looking towards the same spot, and in about a minute they both stooped down, and then started off a good rattle. Of course, sir, they'd taken the hare from the dog, and put 'em both under the seat. Morewood was on the brow of a hill at the time, and couldn't see the dog, but he's sure this was how they did it, for when he caught sight of 'em a mile on they'd no dog running with the cart. It 'ud be as well, sir, just to 'incense' any of the keepers that you may see ; and as it's market day, there's like enough to be some of 'em about in the town." On arriving at Amcoats we put up the horse, and learnt from the omnibus driver that a dog had been sent for me. We went down to the station to bring him away, and on my return I was saluted by a touch of the hat from a fine-looking fellow, standing at the entrance to the inn yard. I returned the salute, and, seeing that Oakes and the stranger were known to each other, I asked him who it was, and he told me it was Broadley, keeper to Colonel Chambers. "I'll tell him, then," I said, "about these two poachers in the spring cart." I beckoned to him, when he came up, and, like a civil fellow, repeated the salute ; " You're Broadley, Colonel Chambers's keeper, ar'n't you ?" " Yes, sir, I am." "Well, my keeper, Thornton, has heard from Morewood" (who, I should tell the reader, was head keeper to Sir Henry Mansel) " that two men are staying somewhere, either in Amcoats or one of the towns about, and they regularly drive out on the public roads and shoot hares or anything they can come across, and they've a dog 134 THE EXPERIENCES OF A GAME PRESERVE It. with them. Have you heard anything about it ? as, if you haven't, my man wished you to know." " No, sir," he replied, " it's all new to me." " Well," I said, " make any inquiry you can, and if you hear anything let me know, or Thornton, or Oakes ; and if we do, we can let you know." I then went into the town, having previously told Oakes to get me a sack of Indian corn and some other things. By four o'clock I was ready to return home, and went back to the inn, where I found Oakes waiting for me. " Can I speak to you by yourself somewhere, sir ?" he asked. " Yes," I replied, " anywhere you like. Shall we go into the saddle-room ?" " That'll do, sir ; but, as I've found out something about the two men as shoot the hares, and, for anything I know, they may be looking at us now, I'd better bring out a headstall or something, to seem as if I was showing you that the ' harnish ' wants mending, and then we can go back into the saddle-room and I'll tell you all about it, sir." This seemed a praiseworthy step, and within five minutes we might have been observed closely investigating the fastening of the chin-strap of somebody's headstall, but ivhose goodness only knows. The owner would doubtless have been amazed had he happened to come up at the moment, and found two strangers deeply intent on a microscopic examination of what I remember was a very decided specimen of country saddlery, in an advanced stage of decomposition through the abundant use of the most villanous-smelling train oil. To make it worse, it would appear as a double insult by our evidently not considering the light afforded by the window of the saddle-room as sufficient, but subjecting the imperfections above alluded to to the blessed light of heaven at four o'clock on a fine day in May ! About two minutes seemed to suffice for our inspection, and we then withdrew into the room. "I've got to know something about it, sir," Oakes commenced. " When the Indian corn came into the yard I told the man to set it THE EXPERIENCES OP A GAME PBESEBVER. 135 down off the sack barrow, and I would cast about for some one to help me with it into our cart, as he looked but weakish. The ostler was ' fast ' with some one's horse, and I looked out into the street, when up comes Broadley again, so I asked him to give me a lift, and we took the sack up between us. / happened to be walking back- wards, and Broadley mistook another cart for ours. We set the sack down ; Broadley held up the apron, to see that there was nothing as could be crushed ; and I was just then brushing a dust of flour off my arm, and did not see what he was doing till he says, " ' I say, George, where did that blood come from ? ' " ' What blood ?' I says. " ' Why, look yer, there's a great dab of blood on the floor of your cart ; and if it didn't come out of a fresh-killed hare's ear I'm a Dutchman. ' " Sure enough, sir, there it was, and it hadn't been long there, neither. " ' Well, but,' says I to Broadley, ' hold on ! This isn't our cart ! ' " ' Don't make a row ! ' he says all of a sudden, quite gentle-like. ' Here's them two, for a thousand. ' " I guessed what was up, and didn't look round, but very quietly helped Broadley in with the corn into our own cart, and we walks out of the yard together. " I looked out of the corner of my eye and saw the men plain enough. They were dressed in dirtyish check shooting-coats, and had on gaiters and breeches ; and I could tell plain enough as they were looking me and Broadley over middling sharp, but they'd seen nothing. " We walks out, as I said, sir, and Broadley whispers, ' Come to the Cheese in five minutes ! ' " Nobody could tell as he'd spoken, for he didn't look at me ; and when we got into the street I went one way and he went another, and in about five minutes I made off for the Cheese, and just as I got in sight of it I saw Broadley going in, so I joins him. " The landlord of the Cheese had been a groom of Sir Henry Hansel's, and him and Broadley was great friends, sir ; so as soon as 136 THE EXPERIENCES OP A GAME PRESERVER. we gets into the house Broadley called the master o' one side, and told him all about it. Then he asked him to lend him an old great- coat and a shawl handkercher ; and while he looked 'em out for him Broadley goes into the washus and cuts a bit off a sponge as was in the soapbox over the slopstone, and then he got the missis to fry a bit of fat bacon and to give him some black cotton. He ties the cotton round the sponge, leaving the ends about a couple of inches long, and then he asked for a small nail, and fastened the cotton round it just under the head. The landlord lent him a ham- mer, and he dips the sponge in the bacon-dripping till it was soaked through, puts on the great coat and the handkercher (which he tied round his mouth and chin), and, having borrowed the landlord's hat, off he goes. " He told me to wait, sir, till he got back, and in half an hour in he comes again, and I saw he'd made something out." " ' Well, George,' says he, when we'd got into the back bar, ' I've done it as nice as pie, and, what's more, I've nailed the dog, or I'll give over guessing. I hobbled into the yard, walking lame-like, and what should I see but the same two fellers watching the ostler putting their horse in. I saw I must be sharp about it if I looked to settling the dog ; and I says to the ostler, ' There's a 'nation great fire, I expect, in the next street ; I never seed such a one out of London.' The two men cut out to have a look, and I says, ' I'll hold the horse a minute or two, Jem, if you want to be off.' Out he goes, and as soon as he was in the street I whips out the hammer and nails the sponge under the seat of their cart inside, and high up. I'd just got hold of the horse's head again when the men comes back, and Jem too ; and very savage they were, but I said I supposed it must have been a chimney on fire as I'd mistook, and at last they thought theirselves as it must have been. They didn't stay any longer at after, but got into the cart and drove off.' " ' Now, Jem,' says Broadley to the ostler, ' I want to know the names of them two, and I got 'em out of the yard to look if there were a name on the back of the cart, but there wasn't.' Jem asked what for ; but Broadley knowed too well to trust him. However, THE EXPERIENCES OP A GAME PRESERVER. 137 he couldn't tell him aught, except as they come the market day afore, and had a hamper with 'em as they took away. No doubt they sent off a lot of hares in it from the station." This was what Oakes and Broadley had been able to make out, and it was very evident that the only plan now was to keep a general and careful watch all along the public roads, and spread the description of the two men as widely as we could amongst all the neighbouring keepers. The dress they appeared in on that day would be very little clue, as of course they took good care to change it even in the cart when travelling. Broadley and Oakes described them as follows : One was a man of about forty years of age, five feet nine high, and stoutly built ; he had black whiskers cut closely, but covering a good deal of his face. The other was about the same height, but very hollow-chested, and with bow legs a sort of fellow who could run fast and keep it up well also ; he was a " down-looking " man, and had a " hare lip " rather apropos, by the bye, of his vocation in our neighbourhood. That these two gentry were " town hands " we had little doubt, and that their detection would be a matter of great difficulty was tolerably apparent. I mentioned my fears of ultimate success to Thornton ; but that talented individual treated it as a very matter-of-fact affair. " I can catch 'em, sir, but I should have a better chance if I did it on some of the other property where they've got more hares than us, for they 11 go where there's most, depend upon it. That dog will be good for another week, and then it's all up with him ; and if we don't catch 'em before then we may give it up, as they won't stop after he's dead. If you don't mind, sir, I'll step over and see Arden about it all." 138 THE EXPERIENCES OF A GAME PRESERVER. CHAPTER XXH. Thornton consults with Arden Morewood (Sir Henry Mansel's Keeper) dis- covers the two Poachers' Abode His Son acts as " Spy " The Keepers make up a " Dummy " Hare They form an Ambush, and capture the two Poachers. I DID not see Thornton till the day but one after our last interview, and when I did come across him he seemed to have but little to communicate. He had been to consult Arden, and all he would confide to me was that a plan of capture had been arranged, but whether it would answer or no was a very different affair. I was engaged in my dressing-room at about half-past seven in the morning after this last conversation with my head keeper, when I overheard the words, evidently in reply to a question asked, " Yes, in about ten minutes, I should fancy ; I took up the hot water a good end of half an hour back." Being in anxious daily expectation of some intelligence from my keeper, I opened the door and called out to know if I were wanted. The servant replied that Thornton and Morewood were waiting to see me. I need not say I was down stairs in a very few seconds, and the two keepers followed me, by my direction, into the breakfast-room. " Ah, I see you've caught them, Thornton," was my remark. " Oh, yes, sir. They're caught at last, but not on our ground. Morewood, here, has done 'em upon theirs." "Well, and tell me all about it," I said. " Why, sir," replied Morewood, " since I saw Henry fust about these men shooting, I determined to have one more try after the spot as they were stopping at, and it struck me as it was not a bit unlikely as they'd be putting up at some low kind of place a goodish bit off; so I sent our Ben the same afternoon as far as the Cross Guns, on the Norton-road, and told him to make out all he could THE EXPEBIENCE8 OF A GAME PBE8EEVEB, 139 from the landlord. I knew he wouldn't tell us anything as 'ud help us very much, but there could be no harm in trying. The Cross Guns is better than seven miles away from us, and I don't know as Fox (the landlord) had ever seen Ben. " He reached the house about half-past four, and found Fox and his wife at tea. He went right in and waited to see if they knew who he was, but he saw in half a minute as it was all right about that, for Fox says, ' Now, young 'un, what do you want ? ' " ' I want nought but a drop o' beer,' says Ben, and he set hisself down not far from the fire. In about five minutes he hears all of a sudden some man say, ' Get under, yer brute, and lie down ! ' The voice seemed to come from the back parlour, and then Ben heard some one trying the lock of a gun as plain as could be. He didn't seem to take the least notice, but the landlord jumped up and went to the room door, and said something to the feller inside. Ben couldn't hear what it was, but in a second or so Fox came back, and a man with him. Ben could see as they were 'looking him over,' but he sat staring at the fire as if he knew nought about 'em. " The man says, ' Have you a drop of sweet oil, Mrs. Fox ? for the blade of my pocket-knife works so stark, it will be wearing the spring away.' She hadn't any oil, so the man took a bit of butter off a pat as was on the table, and made no end of a job of putting some on to the spring of the knife. " ' Yes, my lad,' thinks Ben, ' you fancy you have made me safe ; but, thank yer, I know the working of a pair of locks a bit too well to be took in in that way.' " ' Well, and which road have yer come ? ' says Fox, when the man had gone back into the room. " ' Me ? ' says Ben ; ' oh, I came from Boston.' " ' Well, but you have not walked ? ' says Fox. " ' Oh, no ; I come by the railroad as far as Norton.' " ' And what are you for, down here ? ' " ' Oh, I'd do a bit of farm-work like, and any sort of labouring jobs,' says Ben. " It was very lucky, sir," said Morewood to myself, " that Ben had 140 THE EXPERIENCES OF A GAME PKE8EBVEB. lived most of his time with my missis's father at Boston, and in fact, sir, he only come to be at home since the old man died, and that was within nine months. If he'd been living all along with us, Fox 'ud ha' known him. " He was just going to ask him something more, when the man in the back room calls out, ' I say, Fox ! ' " ' Now then ! ' was the answer. " ' Come here ; I want to speak to you.' " Fox goes into the room, and Ben heard a good deal of whispering, and all of a sudden a voice as he hadn't heard before says, ' I'll be hanged if I don't.' " Ben knew tolerably well now that the two men as we wanted were in that very room, and, what was more, they wished to come out and be off, for it was after five o'clock. He paid for the beer as he'd had, and started ; but he waited first of all for Fox to come into the house-place, so as to ask him which was the next town, and how far it was off. Fox came to the door with him as eager as possible, so as to get him out of the way, no doubt." The sequel I shall give in the substance as it was narrated to me. Fully determined to see the end of it all, Ben walked briskly away for a few hundred yards, and then got over the hedge and doubled back, so that he could command a good view of the house ; and it was not long before Fox came out, accompanied by the man who had had the knife, and another. They all went into the yard, and presently Ben heard the noise of wheels, and then Fox appeared leading their horse, which was harnessed to a spring cart. The two men got in, and, after looking round very cautiously in every direction, the landlord went into the house and came out with a brown snap in a chain. He seemed to be looking for the coast to be clear, and then he took the dog up in his arms and put him under the driving seat. Ben did not see any gun, but no doubt one of the strangers had it in his pockets. They drove close past Ben, who was concealed behind the hedge, and that was all he had to tell. It was a great point, having found out the temporary abode of THE EXPERIENCES OP A GAME PRESERVER. 141 these two rascals ; and that Thornton and Morewood profited by the knowledge was soon to be made evident. It was tolerably certain that the men would not attempt a shot on any preserved land within reasonable distance of the Cross Guns, so the two keepers set to work to prepare a " dummy " hare for their enemies, and the land on which they decided to try it was some very exposed open ground, with but little apparent cover from whence to watch. This sort of country would better disarm suspicion than one cumbered with thick hedegrows, where the shooters might suspect the presence of a watcher. The only difficulty was to make a sufficient, and at the same time an apparently casual, ambush. Morewood suggested a large "pot-crate" covered with manure, or at all events with litter of some kind ; but Thornton objected that it would appear unlikely to have led out manure in the middle of May, and still more unlikely for a hare to feed within shot of a novel object, for she would require a week to get familiarised with it, and in that week no end of mischief might be done. At length they decided that one of them should lie at full length in the hedge where it happened to be just thick enough for concealment, and run his chance of a few grains of shot catching him, should he be in a line with the gun and hare when the men shot. To make a mock hare there was nothing for it but to shoot a live one and stuff it, and this was done the very first thing that evening. The attitude was wonderfully good ; she appeared sitting upright, with her ears pricked up, and heels not quite touching the ground ; in fact, in the attitude a hare always assumes on taking the first pace into a field from the hedge-side. Inside the shoulder was a piece of very strong leather, a part of an old carthorse collar. The next morning, at daybreak, Thornton and Morewood proceeded to the spot, and tossed which of them should be in the hedge, and which be watching within easy reach. The toss was won by Thornton, and Morewood proceeded to put on a rough great coat, to 142 THE EXPERIENCES OF A GAME PRESERVER. guard as much as possible against stray shots. His leggings and breeches were thick enough to resist any reasonably strong shooting gun, and he carried a stone with him to put before his face. The hare was planted about ten yards above him, by the hedge-side, and Thornton hid himself where he could command a view a good way along the road. An hour had passed, and there were no signs of any spring cart ; the only incident that happened during that interval was the conduct of a boy who was coming along the road and caught sight of the hare, and when he had shouted at it for five minutes he commenced throwing stones for another equally extended period, wondering, no doubt, why the hare still remained insensible to his pressing attentions. Thornton was at last compelled to get up and call to him, and to say that if he wasn't off he would "have him up." This had the effect of putting him to flight, and the keeper had no sooner got hidden again than he saw the long-wished-for cart appear on the brow, about a quarter of a mile off. He had his " binocular " out, and could plainly see that the two men in the cart were looking anxiously on each side of the road as they drove along. They seemed to catch sight of the bait instantly, and they were only going a walking pace at the time. Without stopping the cart, the non- driver had the gun up and fired. The shot striking against the thick leather sewn inside, caused the hare to roll over as naturally as possible, and on the instant their snap dog came bolting out, and made for the hare almost as certainly as if he had seen it shot. Before the dog could get hold of it, Morewood sprang out and took possession of the hare, and the two men catching a hurried view of the turn things were taking, but having their attention undividedly fixed upon the dog and Morewood, gave Mr. Thornton time to emerge from his concealment. When they would on the next instant have fled with the precipitation their wiry, half-bred horse entitled them to expect, they found that excellent person in firm possession of the " head " of the quadruped just alluded to. " Well," said Mr. T. to the man who had shot, " I suppose you've THE EXPEBIENOE8 OF A GAME PBESEBVEB. 143 got the other barrel. Hadn't you better try your hand at me or my mate ? " This little sarcasm wound up the pair to a pitch of the utmost fury, and the " gun-man " swore that if there had been only one of them he'd have settled him. " Ay 1 but there's two on us," said the keeper, " so that might turn out okkard. But come, let's just know your names, and I dare say we can hear you better at the police-office, for somehow I've a notion you won't fancy giving your names too like the real 'uns. Besides, I think I can lead the tit better than you can drive him." The procession was soon formed, and their final destination was my own house, where they had just arrived, and the whole turn-out was then in the stable-yard, under the watchful eye of a policeman. Having heard the foregoing account I went out, and was saluted with a volley of abuse from the two prisoners, who at once declined to give any names at all, but swore they would " fetch the law " for myself, Thornton, Morewood, and anyone else they could implicate in their capture. 144 THE EXPEDIENCES OF A GAME PHEBEBVEB. CHAPTER XXIII. I purchase Mr. Serley's Property Description of Plantation Painting Menses I find some of them stopped Marking Wall Wo wait for the Poachers They arrive. THE estate of my neighbour Mr. Serley the crabbed old farmer whose small freehold wedged into my property and interfered with its preservation had often been looked upon by me with an envious eye, and I had repeatedly sounded him on the subject of selling ; but he seemed to turn a deaf ear to all inuendoes of the kind, and I had quite given up every hope of becoming the purchaser. I had reason, however, to know that he very much appreciated the service my keepers had once rendered him in discovering the sheep when they were " overdriven " in the deep snow. It was with great satisfaction, therefore, that I heard it rumoured in the neighbourhood that our friend had half a mind to dispose of his property and to give me the refusal. I had generally made a practice of driving over to our town on market days, where, at the principal hotel, I used to meet my neighbouring landowners ; and as we had formed a "County Club " at this same hostelry, we could discuss the general subjects of the day and arrange shooting and other parties. On one of these market days I was returning home and happened to overtake Mr. Serley, who, as was usual with him, preferred to make the journey on foot. I pulled up and begged he would avail himself of a seat in the dog-cart, which he did with much seeming willingness, and, to my great satisfaction, made me the offer to buy his property. The terms of purchase were settled in a very few minutes, and six weeks from that time saw me installed as owner. The estate, although a small one, possessed very great capabilities for preserving, and amongst other desirable features it presented that of THE EXPERIENCES OP A GAME PRESERVES. 145 a beautiful square plantation, consisting of larch about fifteen years old, with, patches of heath and fern growing irregularly all over it, where not shaded by the trees. Unfortunately, however, sheep had been allowed to run all through it while the trees were much younger, and, where they had not been topped by the sheep, they had been stunted in their growth by these animals rubbing against them and leaving Wool sticking to the bark and short branches ; and nothing seems so poisonous to any sort of pine as this I have, in fact, always found it to be so. The plantation I allude to covered about fourteen or fifteen acres, and was as nearly square as possible. The walla were in a ruinous condition, and had been built originally full of mouses. Investigation showed that the setting of these had formed the subject of many and many a poaching excursion. Scores of them were stopped with a coping, and here and there one left judiciously open. To render these " safe " seemed an Augean task, and I had arranged with Thornton to get a great quantity of posts and rails to put down inside the wood, in addition to those placed outside, as carried out on other parts of my original property. Thornton had fully come into my views on the matter, and we should soon have commenced the work, when one morning he made a suggestion which appeared to have a good deal of ingenuity in it, and the plan he proposed was as follows viz., to post and rail, and also wire the land outside the wood, but to paint menses on the inner side the wall with some cheap but durable black paint. No sooner thought of than carried into effect. I had had the gaps in the walls mended up, and, as the walls themselves were nearly five feet high, I had considered it better to do this than to lower them a foot, which in a very large extent would cost a good deal of money. We found also on a second inspection that it really would be a difficult matter to set a long net inside, because the trees grew close up to the walls, and there were sufficient patches of heath here and there to prevent such a net being readily got down. We therefore com- piled a mixture of lamp-black, boiling water, and alum, and having reopened all the meuses, we proceeded to paint others between them at intervals of three yards, and put thin pieces of slate, also painted 146 THE EXPERIENCES OF A GAME PRESERVER. black, in every real mouse, to act as a paviour and hide the ground, BO that in a moderately dark night the real meuses should not be distinguishable from the sham ones. Thornton and I both went the same evening, when it was quite dark, to test the effect of that gentleman's ingenious suggestion, and we really found the deception perfect. All we now wanted was practical proof of the success of our plan, but it was many weeks before we were favoured with the coveted result. The adjacent land having been unpreserved during Mr. Serley's regime, I suppose the poaching fraternity had not thought it worth their while of late years to trouble it much, as they would have a vast deal of setting to but little purpose. The walls, as I before said, were full of gaps, and hares would, if pursued at night by a dog, prefer these to a meuse, especially if hard pressed. I took care to have the wood well looked to, for I knew perfectly well that when the stock of hares began to increase this would be one of our best covers. I had now got into the habit of doing a good amount of keeper- ing myself, and, in fact, used to tell my men from time to time, what part of the estate I would devote to my own personal inspection. It was on one Sunday afternoon that I took a round, intending to come back by the wood " The Doctor 's Plantin' " was the name of it when I found on arriving there that a meuse was stopped. The next one was the same, and so on for about fifty yards. This rotation was observed all throughout. I could find no stones on the wall, or any "mark," and rather wondered at it. Directly I got home I named the matter to Thornton, and told him to get some men and have it watched. " All right, sir," said that worthy individual, " we '11 wait till they mark the wall, and then we '11 have 'em." "Well, but," I said, " surely they mean to come at once ? " " Oh no, sir, those meuses must remain stopped for a goodish bit perhaps a week, or it may .be a fortnight. The poachers '11 come at daybreak, or perhaps at dinner time, or some time when they think no one's about, and they'll clap a small stone on the wall over every open meuse. We'll have 'em, sir, if we can ; but we'll make THE EXPERIENCES OP A GAME PRESERVER. 147 fools of 'em first. You'd better let me tent that planting till they come." I willingly gave way to the sagacious Mr. T., and longed for the time when " business " might be reported as imminent. The week presupposed by my head-keeper had passed, and another after that, and still no sign of an intention to " set." Four days after the expiration of the fortnight Thornton came and told me that the wall was marked, and the invasion of my territory would probably take place that night. I determined to " head the boarders" myself, and about eight o'clock we sallied out. The party consisted of myself and my two keepers, and three under-keepers belonging to Colonel Chambers. Thornton had started an hour before to shift the marks, and by that process to " make fools " of the poachers, as previously suggested. We found him waiting for us at the corner where I had found the first meuse stopped. The men had all got " beehive " hats on, and I, not possessing one, was content to fill the crown of my hard wide-awake with moss. Thornton arranged our forces so that he, myself, and Morton (one of the three under-keepers mentioned) should remain where we were, and the others proceed to the opposite corner of the wood in a direct line from where we were posted. Oakes was furnished with a ball of thin twine, and, leaving one end in Thornton's hand, his party set off to take up their position ; and in case either division heard the approach of the enemy, a slight twitch on the twine (which of course lay close to the ground, and touching the wall, so as not to be kicked by any person advancing to set a purse-net) would be an intimation of the circumstance to those at the other end. Nine o'clock, ten, eleven, had passed, and no sign of anything. The stillness was oppressive. I quite longed for a termination to this state of breathless suspense, in which my faculties of hearing were strained to their utmost. A nightjar began chattering, and, although he was probably a quarter of a mile off, I should have considered he was within six yards. While listening to the bird and wishing he would " drop it," as it seemed to make the void more 148 THE EXPEBIENCEB OF A GAME PBE8EBVEB. disagreeable, one of the men just pressed my ankle gently between his finger and thumb, and I could, on looking slowly round to my right, see four men standing by the wall on the same side as our- selves. In about half a minute they stooped, and, following one another in a most ghostlike fashion under the trees, crossed the corner of the plantation, emerging at the wall side where our twine- signal lay. Thornton had, as soon as he perceived them, given it a twitch ; and this was returned to him twice, to show it was received and understood. It had been previously arranged between Oakes and Thornton that one jerk meant "here they are;" two, "get up and come softly this way," and a loud whistle meant " charge !" I must admit that when I saw we were " in for it," and another five minutes must see us either in desperate combat with a lot of midnight poachers (who perhaps formed only a part of a much larger lot), or in active demonstration of the " pursuing practice," I felt anxious. I was not afraid. No ; it was more like a desire to be " at work " and get it over without further delay ; but a little delay was necessary, or we should spoil everything. THE EXPERIENCES OF A GAME PEESEEVER. 149 CHAPTER XXIV. Signal given to charge We miss the Poachers for a Time Morton's impromptu Mode of drawing them His Capture of one Nets used Result of painting Meuses and shifting Marks Manners of our Prisoner Conviction Rook Stealer Conclusion. ABOUT five minutes were allowed to elapse, and then the precon- certed signal of two pulls was given, and we ourselves at the same instant rose very gently up and advanced towards our comrades, of course having the poachers between us. We had not gone, however, more than thirty yards before we came upon one of them, who, having set a net, was crouched down watching it. He sprang to his feet and gave a loud whistle, and at the same instant rushed into the wood. Once there, he was comparatively safe, and if his associates had taken the alarm and followed the same plan, it was very considerable odds against our making a capture. We met our own men, but they had caught no one, and in fact the poachers had one and all concealed themselves. Thornton suggested, in a hurried way, the only possible means of securing any of them, and the plan seemed feasible. We were to distribute ourselves round the wood outside the walls, and, there being six of us, we had rather a better chance than if we had only numbered four. Not a moment was lost in running to take up our different posi- tions, but for a quarter of an hour nothing came of it. Fortunately, it was a very still night, so that if any of the poachers attempted to quit their hiding-places and gain the open country, the chances were they would be heard. Our proceedings had evidently, as I considered, disturbed the fields to a certain extent, for the sheep began to make a noise, and one in particular kept up a tolerably constant bleating. I do not know how it was that I should be listening intently, as I certainly was to 150 THE EXPERIENCES OF A GAME PBESEBVEB. this sound, because the fact of cattle being disturbed by a loud whistle in the middle of a very quiet night was not so very remark- able. Be this as it may, a very well-executed bleat was suddenly nipped in the bud, and, changed evidently by the "bleater," to a ringing shout of " Help ! " I need not say that at this cry I ran as fast as I could in the direction of the alarm, and found a fierce battle going on. It appears that Morton had left his waiting-place, run off across one of the fields, and jumped over the wall. From this spot he had pro- ceeded to imitate the bleat of a sheep, and in a few minutes three of the poachers came running to him, and he had seized the biggest of them as he jumped down. The other two, finding their mistake, had attacked Morton with considerable energy, and he, throwing his stick on to the ground, and grasping the poacher he had caught by both sides of his collar, had rapidly opposed his prisoner to the combined attack of his friends. So, taking care to keep his own head low down, he had judiciously subjected that of the poacher to a quick succession of tremendous whacks from their sticks, which, while Morton was shouting for "help " as before stated, induced a vocal accompaniment in an equally energetic roar of "murder!" from his captive. The two poachers did not forget to keep an eye to windward, and consequently had sufficient notice of the arrival of a reinforcement to enable them to beat a safe retreat, and we were forced to be content with the amiable individual left in our hands. He did not fail to allude strongly and loudly to their desertion of him, interspersing his remarks with a short extract from their pedigrees, to prove, if he might be credited in his knowledge of their genealogy, that there was in each case a direct canine descent by the mother's side. When I inform the reader that he added considerable point to his observations in the way of sundry expletives. I can leave him to imagine the tenor of the language evoked by the temporary difficulties of this interesting " peasant." The man was sent, under a sufficient escort, to the house, and I remained behind with Thornton to see what nets there were. The THE EXPERIENCES OP A GAME PEE8EEVEE. 151 stones placed on the wall of course enabled us to find these. In every instance a sheet net had been used ; and, as there were fourteen altogether, it would appear that a much larger body of poachers must have been there, but it was of course equally evident that they had bolted. Four men could not have watched fourteen nets. Two are quite enough, and even then a hare or rabbit will frequently get at liberty unless the man is very quick, because a sheet net will unroll itself in a few yards. A purse net is of course the safest for a meuse, and yet the poachers frequently use the former kind in preference, as they are so easily set up. A couple of tufts of grass stuck into the wall, and "there you are." In every instance we found that the marks had been trusted to ; and, as these had been judiciously shifted in the early part of the evening by my wily keeper, it followed as a matter of course that the net had been set against the blank wall : and the poachers would thus have had the great satisfaction of hearing the hares come through, about four or five yards from where the net was ! There was no further incident connected with our prisoner, more than that he was utterly unknown to any of our party when we came to make a candlelight investigation of his lineaments. His expressive countenance dwelt not in the recollection of Oakes, or even of the three under-keepers who had assisted us, and the prisoner himself, with a possible determination to keep his present predicament a future secret from his " doating wife and helpless little ones " that's the proper cant, I believe declined to throw any light upon his name, or upon the locality that had the inestimable blessing of calling him a denizen. We read in books on natural history that the captive gazelle and gentle turtle-dove, torn from their home in the wild prairie or the grove rendered impervious to the midday rays of the scorching sun, refuse all comfort, and pine away and languishingly die when imprisoned by the ruthless hand of man. Would that I were able to apply this beautiful analogy to the subject of my narrative ! I regret to say that the very reverse of all this was the case ; for we had no sooner ensconced him in a seat by the kitchen fire than he 152 THE EXPERIENCES OP A GAME PBESEBVEB. addressed me (with a familiarity utterly unjustified by long acquaintance) in the following marked words : " I say, Gaffer, if you've got a bit o* grub and a drain o' beer, I'll put it out o' sight for yer in quick sticks ! " All sentiment after this was, of course, out of place, and, ordering the creature comforts in question to be produced for the joint sustenance of the keepers and their prisoner, I marched off to bed. Having to go as far as the bath-room for a bootjack, I now take upon myself to say that the smell of tobacco-smoke plainly perceptible up the back stairs was much stronger than could have been created by one performer on that beautiful instrument, the " short pipe." Can it be that that confounded impudent scoundrel who called me " Gaffer " is coolly smoking with my keepers ? Shall I go down and put his pipe out ? No ! I will not disturb him. " Little he'll reck if I let him smoke on." One of the servants knocked at the door of my bedroom soon after daybreak, and said that Thornton was waiting below stairs. I went down to him, and he asked whether I would like to walk as far as the plantation, and inspect by daylight the effect of his having removed the poachers' marks. I agreed to do so, and off we started. As previously stated, we had found all the nets the night before ; and so far as their displacement was likely to be owing to hares knocking them down, there they might have stood for a century. Every one had been spread against the blank wall, as was evident enough by the tufts of grass, some of which were lying on the ground, and some still sticking in the wall. A hearty burst of British laughter on my part greeted the discovery. Thornton, like a good- disciplined soldier, smiled a grave smile, but I am sure he must have been " in fits," as I was, had he been alone. It is very probable that, had the poachers used "purse nets," they would have discovered the deception immediately ; but had they done so they could have had no sport that night, for it does not do to have to hunt about and find meuses in the night-time, especially when imitations (which, on a tolerably light night, would not be dis- tinguishable from real ones) have been instituted. THE EXPEEIENCE8 OP A GAME PRESERVER. 153 The poachers had completely fallen into a trap as regards that bleating. It is a very common arrangement with these gentry, if they mean to make a stand, to collect on an alarm-post previously arranged, and then, if their pluck or numbers will carry them through, to attack the keepers in combined strength. If their rendezvous should be accidentally occupied by the keepers, they improvise any field that may be handy, and then commence bleat- ing ; and this signal is generally sure to bring up their reinforce- ments. The plan succeeded admirably as far as we were concerned; and had not Morton adopted it (on speculation), we should most certainly have had to remain content with a capture of nets only. The fellow whom we had caught was very much disposed at one time to give us the names of his associates. He entered very fully into the history of the expedition, and got into such a " wax " about the retreat of his friends to the (doubtless) duet of " The butty I left behind me," that he nearly let slip their "names and rank," but he checked himself in time. I heard all this from Thornton, who, with the other keepers, had, as previously related, sat up listening to these " Extracts from the Diary and Times of a celebrated Poacher." The conviction of our prisoner followed in due course, and he was consigned to the county gaol without a fine, as it was a case of night poaching. In strictness it was " night poaching with violence," the only difference being that the violence was exercised by the poacher's friends on his own precious skull, and, from what Morton told me, I am only surprised at his surviving the attack he received. Had I been on the spot and witnessed it, I would have bet " two to one on the ' striker' " with anyone who felt disposed to take me. Things went smoothly on without much variety ; our game in- creased steadily, and I found myself in a couple of years in a situa- tion to return the civility of my neighbours by asking them to battues equal to their own. I will not, however, inflict the details of any of these gatherings upon my readers. One battue is the same as another, generally speaking, just as one tiger hunt in India is the same as another ; and the latter subject has been worn threadbare M 154 THE EXPERIENCES OF A GAME PRESERVER. enough, goodness knows. I shall, therefore, carry the reader through the autumn and winter, emerging in the pleasant month of May, and relate a very humorous circumstance that occurred about the 15th of that month. I think I have omitted to mention the fact (and, after all, it is a very trifling one) that I had been at considerable pains to encourage the rooks to build in some good-sized elm and ash trees at the back of the stable. I procured some old rook nests from a neighbour the very first year I arrived, and caused them to be tied with strong cord into the likeliest-looking forks I could discern at the tops of these trees. The result was that a couple of rooks had commenced building, and pulled first one nest, and then the others, all to pieces ; but the sticks being, I suppose, " past their best," they had re- jected them all, and set to work in a business-like way with new and proper materials. Ten days after their commencing four more pair came, then four more, and the consequence was, that I had nine pair of rooks regularly settled. I need not say that I watched their progress with very great satisfaction, and, as it was so small a colony, I never dreamt of their attracting the attention of professed rook stealers. I was, however, mistaken, as the sequel will show. Two of the nests were built in the top of a very high Scotch fir, possessing an extremely thick and bushy head. I was sitting in my library on the evening of the 15th, and had, in fact, arrived at the conclusion that it was getting on to bedtime, when I heard the rooks suddenly commence a great disturbance. I ran round to the yard, and could distinctly see the whole flock flying about at no great height, and making such a noise as persuaded me there must be something wrong. I looked at the trees, and they appeared to contain no other burden than the rooks' nest, and yet the tenants of them would not be pacified. I then went into the yard and knocked up my gardener, who quickly dressed and came out. My head groom, a very humorous fellow, who had been a rough rider in the Bays, and whose name was Currey, joined us ; and still after a close inspection we seemed no wiser. THE EXPERIENCES OF A GAME PEE8EEVEE. 155 Suddenly Ourrey said, "I'll fetch the gun," and he disappeared for a few moments and returned with a stable-fork in his hand, shouting out, " I can see yer, yer blackguard ; come down, or I'll soon fetch yer with a charge of shot." To my intense amazement, a voice screamed out from the top of the Scotch fir, " Don't shoot, don't shoot, and I'll come down 1 " In another instant down came the body to which the voice belonged, and fell a prisoner into our hands. He turned out to be a big lad of about seventeen, and a terrible fright he was in. He excused himself by saying, when he could find words to express himself clearly, that he was taking a message to Colonel Chambers ; whereupon Currey dumbfounded him by requesting to know " Whether Colonel Chambers lived up that tree ? " The lad had not touched a single young rook, for, luckily, he had heard my house door open immediately on arriving at the top of the tree, and the rooks had not actually been aware of his presence till that moment also. I let him go quits for the fright, and took care the next day to rear a ladder and hammer tenter-hooks into the trees a long way up, and where there happened to be no boughs whereon to rest and extract them. Although I have made this incident appear as a modern occurrence, it actually happened some years ago ; and should it meet the eye of Currey, of the Bays, I make no doubt he will remember the laugh we had against the rook stealer by his very apposite question. Reader, the "Experiences" are now finished. Messrs. Thornton, Oakes, and Co. must henceforth carry on their occupation unnoticed, as far as I am concerned ; and if in the relation of all our adventures I have afforded amusement and combined instruction with it, it will be a very pleasing circumstance for reflection. Printed by Horace Cox, 346, Strand, London, W.C. UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA LIBRARY Los Angeles This book is DUE on the last date stamped below. Form L9-50m-7,'64 (5990)444 Deadfall - 521 Experiences of a D3lie game preserver S 521 UC SOUTHERN REGIONAL LIBRARY ftf 1