412 AN ENGLISH GAMEKEEPER 



One night I went down the wood to my men 

 at the hut, between ten and eleven at night, 

 and there I found an empty two-gallon jar of 

 beer, whilst the men, five or six in number, la}- 

 about fast asleep. I struck a light and called 

 to them, but all the answer I could get was a 

 loud and continuous snore. Then I called, at 

 the top of my voice, one of them by name ; 

 still no answer, but snoring. I left, and went 

 forty yards down the ride to an alarm gun ; 

 this I sprung, and then waited for ten minutes 

 to see if it would wake them up, but not a man 

 showed himself. I returned to the hut, and 

 there they all lay, as I had left them, fast 

 asleep. 



Again I called them, pulled them about by 

 their legs, and kicked the soles of their boots, 

 shouting :— " Did you hear them shoot ?" 



" Eh ? Ah ! What ?" was the sleepy answer. 



" Did you hear them shoot ?" 



"Yes. No. Eh? What?" 



" Wake up," I roared. " Come on with 



me." 



" W^hat's the matter ?" asked one. 



