The Poacher. 349 



of the wood ; but the keepers, who were to the windward, never 

 heard them, so that the ruse, although well planned, entirely failed. 



At about eleven, however, the general attack began. I may add 

 that Hammerton was to head the shooting party, and the young 

 man whom I spoke to in the blacksmith's shop headed the netters. 

 The poachers had gone to a home preserve, full of pheasants, which 

 ^n account of the storm, were perching low. This wood lay 

 rather to the windward of the keepers, so they heard the shots, but 

 only indistinctly at first a dropping fire, but soon four or five to the 

 minute all over the wood. " By G !" said Johnson, " they're in 

 the home wood. Come on, my lads ! or they'll clear it before we 

 get there." And off the keepers started in the direction of the 

 guns. But the road was rough, and the moon gave little light. 

 It was not easy running, and it was half-an-hour before they 

 reached the wood. After the first twenty minutes the fire 

 slackened, and by the time they got up the poachers were beating a 

 retreat to join their comrades, who were netting in another covert, 

 about half-a-mile distant. It was excellently planned. Hammerton 

 got all his men off but three, who lay hidden with the game in a 

 ditch, by the very side of which the keepers passed in full pursuit 

 without discovering them. It was very unlucky for Johnson that 

 old Sailor (his favourite night-dog) had staked himself the day 

 before in jumping over a dead fence with a pheasant in his mouth, 

 and was obliged to be left at home, or these three men and their 

 booty wouk 1 have been secured. As it was, they lay quiet till the 

 keepers had passed, and then ran home as fast as they could under a 

 load of about fifty of Johnson's finest pheasants which had, per- 

 haps, cost nearly il. each to fatten. The men reached the village 

 safely j the old higgler's cart was got under way at once ; by five in 

 the morning they were on the top of one of the night-coaches, and 

 the same night were in London. 



It had been planned beforehand that directly the firing ceased, 

 the poachers who were netting were to assemble under a large oak 

 well known to every one of them, and wait till the Hammerton 



