THE MANOR FARM. 191 



them widely about, and, putting the two sacks into 

 one, I buckled them round my waist by aid of my 

 shot-belt. This left my arms free for war, and I 

 carelessly strode out of the cover. About half a mile 

 from where I was I knew that my keeper and his as- 

 sistant were ferretting rabbits ; so as soon as I got 

 well out of view 1 took to my heels, and ran to where 

 they were, returning with them with as little delay as 

 possible. I came back up the cover, in a line with 

 the road, and got to within forty yards of the gate, on 

 which the three men still sat, without their being 

 aware of it. Just as I got within hearing one man 

 jumped down from the gate into the road, saying, an- 

 grily, " Well, if you are all afraid to go in, come 

 along home, for I'll stay here no longer." He seemed 

 to have been trying to persuade them to go into the 

 wood again ; so, making a sign to my men to lie still, I 

 rose and discovered myself, apparently alone, bidding 

 them " to be off, and not to let me catch them there 

 ao-ain ! " Thous^h I seemed to be alone, it had no 

 effect by way of enticement to battle, and they all 

 went grumbling away. 



I left Harrold Hall with a heavy heart ; for though 

 I had met with anything but fair treatment at the 

 hands of what was called the Oakley Club, during the 

 first two years of my hunting that country, still I 

 looked on it then as I look on it now, — the happiest 

 period of my huntsman's life ; and I went, not only 

 from many people of all classes whom I liked, but from 

 a place of which I had grown fond by association. And 

 one word for poor dear old Mrs. Church of the Manor 

 Farm, at Stevington. Though I had preserved game 

 on her lands strictly, we never had the shadow of a 

 disagreement : and I can picture to myself now her 



