MY FIRST AFFRAY WITH POACHERS. 3 1 



walked to ease the horse. When they reached 

 the top of the hill, however, Cogdill obstinately 

 refused to re-enter the cart, and the two con- 

 stables could do nothing with him, until a 

 brewer's cart came along, when they got the 

 dray-man to help them. With his assistance, 

 the poacher was bound hand and foot, drawn up 

 into the cart, and thus conveyed to Chesham. 



The two poachers were sent for trial to 

 Aylesbury, where I, and father, and Dick 

 Lovering had to appear as witnesses agains^- 

 them. They were tried before Sir i homas 

 Freemantle, found guilty, and sentenced to 

 transportation for life ; Dell having been pre- 

 viously tried fourteen times, and convicted 

 eleven, Cogdill tried eleven times, and convicted 

 nine. Cogdill died going across the water, but 

 Dell lived, and returned to Chesham forty years 

 after, dying there in 1885. 



I was at Chesham, on a visit, in '83, and called 

 at Dell's house, but did not see him as his 

 son-in-law said that he was ill in bed. I was told, 

 afterwards, that Dell said that, if he had known 

 it was I who had called, he would have killed 



