160 The Confessions of a Poacher. 



the flames shot everywhere. The thick smoke 

 nearly stifled us, and the heat became intense. 

 The fire ran up the poles, and burning bits of 

 the heather roof began to fall. Then came the 

 crisis. A fir pole had been raised without, 

 and then was to crash through the hut. This 

 was the first outside proceeding we had 

 seen we saw it through the riddled walls. 

 As soon as the men loosed their hold of the 

 tree for its fall we sprang from the doorway ; 

 and then for a few seconds the sight was mag- 

 nificent. As the roof crashed in the whole 

 hut was one bright mass of flame, and a sheet 

 of fire shot upwards into the night. The 

 burning brackens and ling sent out myriads of 

 sparks, and these falling around gave us a few 

 seconds' start. As agreed, we each hurled 

 a burning brand among the keepers, then disap- 

 peared in the darkness. Certainly no one 

 followed us out of the wood. We had simply 

 scored by lying low with the fire about us, 

 taking advantage of the confusion and dazzling 

 light, and then knowing our way out of the 

 difficulty. The squire's son, we saw, was one 



