MY FIRST AFFRAY WITH POACHERS. 23 



straight into the meadow, and took the chickens 

 in the coops. Dick hailed them three times, 

 and then fired his gun, which was a signal for 

 father. They ran away towards White's Wood 

 taking the chickens with them ; father, hearing 

 the signal, ran down from White's Wood. He 

 met the poachers just as they were going 

 through a trap gate in the hedge, into the 

 third field from our house. He collared two, 

 one in each hand, and then I arrived on the 

 scene, old Dick following me up, rather slowly 

 and reluctantly, about a hundred yards behind. 

 "Here we are, father; here's me and Dick. 

 Catch hold of them, Dick," I cried. This was 

 only bounce, as Dick had not yet come up, but 

 he did so soon afterwards. I knew both the 

 men my father held. One was Widdie Dell, 

 and the other William Cogdill. Both were 

 from Chesham, and, in fact, the same men 

 whom I had seen buy the wire, some years 

 before, and whom I afterwards met in Monk's 

 Wood, when they enquired for their donkeys. 

 The rest of the poachers got away, and ran 

 across the standing corn ; but Dell and Cogdill 



