22 AN ENGLISH GAMEKEEPER. 



believed to be James Keen, whom I have 

 already spoken of. He it was who came and 

 fetched me from the Chalk Pit, and he was 

 formerly keeper to Mr. Fuller, under my father, 

 but lost the berth because he was too fond of 

 visiting the "Red Cow," the "Boot and 

 Slipper," the " Wheat Sheaf, "and other houses 

 of call. He was now dressed up as a woman 

 and wore pattens, but I knew him in spite of the 

 disguise, and saw him go into the Wheat Sheaf. 

 This inn was kept by Tom Stevens, a poacher's 

 friend. He bred pheasants for gentlemen, to 

 turn them (the pheasants, not the gentlemen) 

 down in the woods, and also bought eggs and 

 young pheasants from poachers. 



Richard Lovering, an underkeeper, and 

 myself were watching the young fowls, and my 

 father was watching the pheasants. The 

 chickens were in the pheasants' coops, and so 

 were mistaken for pheasants by the poachers ; 

 the pheasants had been taken from the meadow 

 up into the plantation, in White's Wood. Just 

 after twelve o'clock, on Sunday night, we 

 heard the men coming from the road ; they went 



