A <Gip'-Trap 71 



when they were much knocked about, and trimmed 

 up the shattered ones in the cleverest way. 



To pull up the plug and take wire and hare too 

 was the first impulse ; yet we hesitated. Why did 

 the man who set the snare let his game lie till that 

 hour of the day ? He should have visited it long 

 before : it had a suspicious look altogether. It would 

 also have been nearly impossible to carry the hare 

 so many miles by daylight and past villages : even 

 with the largest pockets it would have been doubtful, 

 for the hare had stiffened as he lay stretched out. So, 

 carefully replacing him just as we found him, we left 

 the spot and re-entered the copse. 



The shepherd certainly was right ; the quantity 

 of nuts was immense : the best and largest bunches 

 grew at the edge of the thickets, perhaps because they 

 received more air and light than the bushes within that 

 were surrounded by boughs. It thus happened that 

 we were in the green pathway when some one suddenly 

 spoke from behind, and, turning, there was a man in 

 a velveteen jacket who had just stepped out of the 

 bushes. The keeper was pleasant enough and readily 

 allowed us to handle his gun a very good weapon, 

 though a little thin at the muzzle for a man likes to 

 see his gun admired. He said there were finer nuts in 

 a valley he pointed out, and then carefully instructed 



