353 The Poacher, 



ton to the ground with a swinging round-handed hit on the side of 

 the head. The poacher fell, and the keeper, who was overbalanced 

 by the force of his own blow, fell on him. Hammerton was not 

 even stunned, and he seized Johnson like a bulldog by the throat, 

 and these two strong men rolled over and over on the grass, in a 

 mortal embrace, snarling and tearing at each other like two fierce 

 dogs, sometimes the one above, sometimes the other. Meanwhile 

 the battle was raging fiercely all around ; now and then a crashing 

 blow from a gun-stock would bring a keeper to the ground, but the 

 short dog-spears did dreadful service. The men were strictly ordered 

 only to use them as sticks, and not to stab with them, but more 

 than one poacher fell with a dog-spear in his side. It is singular 

 that during the whole of the battle only three guns were fired j 

 but this is accounted for by the fact that only five of the poachers 

 had any ammunition left j and if the keepers had known that only 

 five out of the twenty guns which were pointed at them were 

 loaded, they would not have hesitated an instant about rushing in. 

 It was a curious fact that in this hand-to-hand fight, even when 

 their blood was up, the poachers seemed lo have a repugnance at 

 firing upon the keepers, who had no guns ; for as one of them who- 

 escaped told me afterwards, that although his gun was loaded 

 during the whole time, he did not seem to feel to dare to fire it^ 

 but only fought with the butt-end. 



The battle was too fierce to last long, and in five minutes the 

 poachers beat a retreat, leaving seven prisoners and all their nets, 

 hares, and rabbits, in the hands of the keepers. Poor Johnson was- 

 in rather an awkward case. He could not rise, for he could not 

 shake Hammerton olf^ who was as strong a man as himself. By a 

 desperate struggle, the poacher got above the keeper, and dashing 

 his head against the ground, which partially stunned him, he sprang" 

 to his feet, and^ giving Johnson one settler by a tremendous kick 

 under the ear, he plunged into the thickest of the forest, and, 

 favoured by the night and the confusion of the moment, escaped. 

 It was some little time before Johnson could rise, and his first ex- 

 pression, as he stared wildly round him, "D — n him! I'll have him 



