58 AN ENGLISH GAMEKEEPER. 



and sprang on me, I almost thought it was a 

 tiger." It certainly was a bad light at the 

 time, being just before daybreak, and so dark 

 that he could not even see the eggs he was 

 groping for amongst the ferns. 



In a few moments father returned to us, and 

 then old Dick tried him by "court martial," as 

 he called it, for setting his men such a bad 

 example, in acting contrary to his own orders. 

 Dick constituted himself judge and jury, and 

 solemnly found father guilty, fining him two 

 gallons of Teddy Wheelan's ale, from Amer- 

 sham brewer}'. Father paid up for the two 

 gallons cheerfully enough, saying that he did 

 not mind so long as " venturesome Jack" was 

 not hurt. I may mention that I knew nothing 

 of this Tom Tuson, and had never seen him 

 before, nor have I set eyes on him since. Old 

 Dick was the only one of us who knew him. 



Tuson was summoned to appear before the 

 magistrates, but absconded. I should explain 

 that the "White House " that father mentioned 

 was about half-way between Monk's Wood and 

 Chesham, and he thought I was running my 



