76 O'er Crag and Torrent 



of sweethearts, food, and such like dainties. 

 From the nature of the ground it is absolutely 

 impossible to trench for the badgers, and 

 therefore the only plan is to "go for them " 

 with terriers at night. One morning a 

 communication was received from a good 

 old sporting Devonshire farmer, one of the 

 real genuine old stamp, that there were 

 evident signs of a good many badgers 

 about, and that his old sheep-dog had a 

 rare "rough and tumble" with a big one 

 in one of the goyles. Preparations and 

 minor details having been satisfactorily 

 arranged with a couple of friends, intima- 

 tion was sent to good old Farmer Tom to 

 meet on a certain night and to bring the 

 badger tongs (for " tailing " a badger on 

 a dark night is something more than 

 risky). 



On the appointed night three of us started 

 just as the moon began to rise, for we had an 



