I LEAVE HARROLD HALL 155 



when, just as I had drained my flask, the turn-up of my head 

 gave me to see my three friends gathered together, each having 

 armed himself with a stick, and seated on the top bar of a gate 

 by the road-side gazing at me. I did not like it ; for though it 

 is easy enough to attack and disperse great odds by aid of a 

 sudden onset, when those assaulted don't know how many 

 backers the assaulter may have behind him, yet when men have 

 time to reason with themselves, and see that they are as three to 

 one, it alters the probability of victory very much. I confess, I 

 thought myself in for a fight at least, and I would have given 

 much for the presence of another man. However, the best 

 course was to put a bold face on the matter ; men don't like to 

 attack another when he is armed with a gun, and has at his 

 heels a large and faithful dog. So I emptied the sacks of their 

 acorns, casting 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 assistant were ferreting rabbits ; so as 

 soon as I got well out of view I 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, angrily, "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 again ! " Though 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 



