88 AN ENGLISH GAMEKEEPER. 



whilst still lying flat on the ground ; then he 

 got up and carefully removed every scrap of 

 fluck, after which he went back a little way 

 into the wood, kicked up the moss and earth, 

 and buried the fluck underneath, stamping it 

 down out of sight with his feet. Next he took 

 some earth and rubbed over the white thorn 

 bush, in the place where the snare had barked 

 it ; then he brought some leaves, and strewed 

 over the place where Sarah had scratched up 

 the earth under the snare. After this he put 

 up the quick, and made everything look as if it 

 had not been disturbed ; then, standing a little 

 way off, he took a good view, and, coming 

 back, placed a twig here and there, and 

 smeared a little dirt over a spot in the bark 

 that showed white. At last he seemed quite 

 satisfied, and, indeed, one might have passed 

 the place without ever noticing that anything 

 had been recently caught there. 



Off he goes with one-eyed Sarah, and, after 

 going about twenty yards or so, he thought he'd 

 take a peep at her. Just as he was doing this 

 I stepped up behind him, on tiptoe, saying : 



