54 AN ENGLISH GAMEKEEPER. 



was throwing them up, or taking nets or game 

 away from them. When I was a young man I 

 could turn out " in my skin " and have a fair 

 stand up fight with any lad, and, on one 

 occasion, I was bound over to keep the peace 

 -for twelve months, for fighting with Jack 

 Weedon in Squire Lownde's Park. I was had 

 up before the Squire and Mr. Benjamin Fuller, 

 and father was bound over for me and Jack 

 Weedon' s mother for him ; so this rather 

 damped my fighting ardour, and made me feel 

 somewhat ashamed of myself. 



I went back to Monk's Wood, and left father 

 to look after Bishop's Hill, and, one morning, 

 when I was on the watch, I heard "scrunch 

 scrunch " on the frozen beech leaves, and took 

 up my gun ready for a shot, as I thought it was 

 some kind of vermin on the prowl. Presently I 

 saw a man step into the path, look round the 

 bend, and then go back again to the edge of 

 the wood. Here he knelt down, and began 

 feeling about in the ferns. It was about half-past 

 two in the morning, and I could only see the 

 outline of the man as he groped on his knees. 



