POACHING AGAIN. 367 



very ill, expecting an increase in family, and if 

 she heard that he had been sent to prison it 

 might cause her to be prematurely confined. 



" Well," says I. " Don't say a word to any- 

 one, and I will see you again about it. Don't 

 even tell your wife, for if I hear of it from any- 

 one I promise you that I won't forgive you." 



The man could not rest easy about the 

 matter, and soon came to me and pleaded 

 hard with me, but I would not make him any 

 further promise. So I kept him in suspense 

 for a week or ten days, at the end of which 

 time he came again. Then I told him that I 

 had considered his case, and, having regard 

 to his wife, I would overlook the offence on 

 condition that he signed the following declar- 

 ation. It ran something like this: — " I was 

 caught poaching, but, in consideration of my 

 wife's delicate health, Wilkins let me off. If 

 ever I am caught again, he shall have power 

 to lay this paper before the Bench." 

 ^ He signed this paper, and though it's more 

 than twenty years ago now, I never had any 

 reason to think that he broke his word. He 



