PRESERVATION OF GAME. 265 



have been known to kill an immense bag of game, at 

 his particular request, for the supply of an election 

 dinner, or some other reasonable purpose. 



Thus many lords of manors, who would rather lose 

 an ounce of their own blood than a brace of their phea- 

 sants, have been striving to preserve every head of game 

 by day, while the poachers, unmolested, were clearing 

 it by wholesale during the night. Sometimes, too, not- 

 withstanding all their caution, their manors are invaded 

 even by day, with old stagers from a garrison, who 

 select market days, when the tenants are absent, and 

 windy weather, when they can manoeuvre to leeward 

 and outflank the keepers. 



Others again manage to create a diversion in favour 

 of their trespass, by having the keepers drawn to op- 

 posite points, with the discharge of double guns and 

 pistols ; or, getting some bad shots, on promising them 

 a share of the booty, to throw themselves in the way of 

 the lookers out, and occupy their whole attention ; first 

 by running away to give them a chase that will prolong 

 their distance from the real point of attack ; and then, 

 by warmly arguing in a wrong cause, so as to engross 

 their attention with a triumphant explanation of their 

 own knowledge, and their prisoner's ignorance in the 

 game laws. 



Many gentlemen poachers have, by running away, 

 through pretended fear, drawn a gamekeeper off his 

 boundary, who, being possibly there followed by his 

 dogs, and having only a gamekeeper's licence, becomes 

 so far in doubt as to his own safety against information, 

 that he is too happy to compound for the day's sport 

 being finished in peace, by those before whom he may 

 have committed himself. 



