Oby and his System 1 23 



trap. I've been before the bench, at one place and 

 t'other, heaps of times, and paid the fine for trespass. 

 Last time the chairman said to I, " So you be here 

 again, Oby ; we hear a good deal about you." I says, 

 " Yes, my lard, I be here agen, but people never 

 don't hear nothing about yoii^ That shut the old 

 duffer up. Nobody never heard nothing of he, except 

 at rent-audit 



* However, they all knows me now — my lard and 

 the steward, and the keeper and the bailies, and the 

 farrners ; and they don't take half the notice of I as they 

 used to. The keeper he don't dare, nor the policeman 

 as I telled you, and the rest be got used to me and my 

 ways. And I does very well one week with t'other. 

 One week I don't take nothing, and the next I haves a 

 good haul, chiefly hares and rabbits ; 'cause of course 

 I never goes into the wood, nor the plantations. It 

 wants eight or ten with crape masks on for that job. 



' I sets up about four wires, sometimes only two : 

 if you haves so many it is a job to look after 'em. 

 I stops the hare's other runs, so that she is sure to 

 come along mine where I've got the turnpike up : the 

 trick is to rub your hand along the runs as you want 

 to stop, or spit on 'em, or surnmat like that ; for a 

 hare won't pass nothing of that sort. So pussy goes 

 back and comes by the run as I've chose : ,\f she comes 



