180 The Amateur Poacher 



labourer, and we object to have him with us, as we 

 know he would be certain to get in the way. 



We then tried a corner where two qf these large 

 mounds, meeting, formed a small copse in which grew 

 a quantity of withy and the thick grasses that always 

 border the stoles. A hare bolted almost directly the 

 dogs went in : hares trust in their speed, rabbits in 

 doubling for cover. I fired right and left, and 

 missed : fairly missed with both barrels. Orion 

 jumped upon the mound from the other side, and 

 from that elevation sent a third cartridge after her. 



It was a long, a very long shot, but the hare 

 perceptibly winced. Still, she drew easily away from 

 the dogs, going straight for a distant gateway. But 

 before it was reached the pace slackened ; she made 

 ineffectual attempts to double as the slow spaniels 

 overtook her, but her strength was ebbing, and they 

 quickly ran in. Reloading, and in none of the best 

 of tempers, I followed the mound. The miss was of 

 course the gun's fault it was foul ; or the cartridges, 

 or the bad quality of the powder. 



We passed the well-remembered hollow ash 

 pollard, whence, years before, we had taken the 

 young owls, and in which we had hidden the old 

 single-barrel gun one sultry afternoon when it sud- 

 denly came on to thunder The flashes were so vivid 



