The Confessions of a ^Poacher. 59 



me home, and upon the hearth the wires and 

 nets were spread for inspection. When all 

 was ready, and the dogs whined impatiently to 

 be gone, I would strike right into the heart of 

 the land, and away from the high-road. 



Mention of the dogs brings me to my fastest 

 friends Without them poaching for fur would 

 be almost impossible. I invariably used 

 bitches, and as success depended almost 

 wholly upon them, I was bound to keep only 

 the best. Lurchers take long to train, but 

 when perfected are invaluable. I have had, 

 maybe, a dozen dogs in all, the best being the 

 result of a pure cross between greyhound 

 and sheepdog. In night work silence is essen- 

 tial to success, and such dogs never bark ; 

 they have the good nose of the one, and the 

 speed of the other. In selecting puppies it is 

 best to choose rough-coated ones, as they are 

 better able to stand the exposure of cold, 

 rough nights. Shades of brown and fawn are 

 preferable for colour, as these best assimilate 

 to the duns and browns of the fields and 

 woods. The process of training would take 



