266 AN ENGLISH GAMEKEEPER. 



the side of the stakes they were tied to, and 

 pushed them under the grass, in order to save 

 tying and untying them again when he set 

 them again for the night. Anyone looking 

 carelessly in the run of a daytime, would not 

 have seen the snares. 



Old Phillips was summoned, and had to 

 appear before the magistrates at Saffron Wal- 

 den. Tom Bitmead and I gave our evidence, 

 and when Phillips was asked if he had anything 

 to say for himself, he swore that he had neither 

 seen or touched a snare on the night in ques- 

 tion. He held out his arm, and said he hoped 

 it would drop off his body, and that he might 

 be struck dead, and fall into the lowest pit of 

 perdition, if he had ever touched, or ever seen 

 a snare. The magistrates were horrified at 

 his abominable language, and stopped him 

 from saying any more, by sentencing him to a 

 term of imprisonment. 



He told his master, Mr. Sparks, of Birch- 

 anger, the same tale he told the " Beaks," and 

 Mr. Sparks asked Inspector Scott what sort 

 of men Bitmead and I were, for he half be- 



