180 REMINISCENCES OF A HUNTSMAN. 



blood on a scent which ends in retributive justice. 

 1 had often held conversation with the wounded man 

 as to the poachers, and we both of us suspected that 

 they came from Bozeat. My astonishment was great, 

 therefore, when Coles repudiated the idea that he 

 had been shot by those men ; his words were, " No, 

 they were not Bozeat men ; I'm sure they came from 

 Carleton," a village close to Harrold Hall. I then 

 asked why he suspected the Carleton men, and if he 

 thought he had ever seen the men before, or, in 

 short, what put the belief into his head. The reply 

 to this which was sent me was, " that Coles could 

 not tell ; he could not account for it, yet something 

 completely possessed him with the idea that the man 

 wdio shot him, and the others who were with him" 

 (I think there were tliree or four), " all came from 

 Carleton." Soon after he made this death-bed de- 

 claration the poor fellow died. At the time that 

 this took place there were no county policemen ; the 

 parish constable was usuall}^ the oldest and most inef- 

 ficient man that could be found, and, aware of that 

 fact, I advised my being sworn in as special constable, 

 and any warrant for the apprehension of the mur- 

 derer to be connnitted to my care. I was in the midst 

 of making a searching inquiry when word reached 

 me from Mr. ]\Iagenis, that one of the gang was pre- 

 pared to turn king's evidence, and that he had in 

 fact given him information as to who it was that 

 shot the keeper, and where he was at that moment 

 at work, naming a lonely barn in the fields not far 

 from Carleton. I knew the barn alluded to : none of 

 mv men were at home ; so, there beinoj no time to 

 lose, Mr. Magenis and myself repaired at once to the 

 spot. We tied up our horses, and I begged Mr. 



