DRIFT. 23 



roared through the trees, and the branches rubbed 

 and crunched upon the roof of his hut, he felt it to 

 be rather dreary. He had been married, but his 

 wife was dead when I knew him. He must once 

 have been wonderfully strong and active to judge 

 from his appearance ; his bearing was still full of 

 vigour. The New Forest was well known to him, 

 every part of it. He was in and on it before the 

 order to destroy the deer was given ; he had shot 

 them in his official capacity. When the railway 

 was in course of construction, scores of them, he 

 said, were killed by poachers ; and when the line 

 was completed and in full working order, the deer 

 would get on it and were run into like sheep. I 

 asked him if he knew Grantley Berkeley. 



" Knew him ? Yes, I should think I did ; knew 

 him well, and his bloodhound Druid. He was or- 

 dered to kill 'em all off, was Grantley. What he 

 said he meant, did Grantley. Folks round about 

 couldn't make him out, nor his ways either ; but he 

 had lots o' good qualities about him, I knew that." 



Then we talked of the salmon, and the number of 

 otters, and the great size they reached. " No won- 

 der," he said ; " they fed well." Many a fine otter 



