DABBER HARDING AND OLD SARAH. 87 



downwards, in one of the snares I was watching. 



Now poachers are very knowing and sus- 

 picious fellows, so that, when you are baiting 

 a trap for them, don't despise your enemy and 

 think that anything is good enough to take 

 him in ; you must meet cunning with ditto, and, 

 to show you what I mean, I will describe very 

 carefully how I ' faked ' this dead hare. 



I tucked her head in the noose and drew it 

 moderately tight, then I took the slack of the 

 wire and see-sawed it against the stems of the 

 " quick " to rub the bark off, pulled out the 

 fluck to show where she had torn herself when 

 dashing about, and scraped up the leaves and 

 moss to show where she had scratched and 

 kicked about in the snare before she died. So, 

 having completed my preparations, all I had to 

 do was to wait and watch. About seven in the 

 morning arrives Dabber with his gun, and beats 

 the plantation down to where the snares were 

 set ; when he got within fifteen or twenty yards 

 he saw old Sarah, and, dropping his gun, he 

 rushed forward and fell flat on top of her. He 

 took her out of the snare and pocketed her, 



