354 AN ENGLISH GAMEKEEPER. 



in " the know," could never understand how it 

 was that I didn't run as fast that morning as 

 on other occasions. I did not say anything to 

 anyone, but I placed the two woodmen so that 

 the poachers would see them before entering 

 the long plantation, for I knew very well that, 

 if five or six poachers showed themselves, the 

 woodmen would do the same to save getting a 

 crack on the head. Whether the woodmen 

 did see anyone or not, I don't know, but they 

 declared that they never saw anything that 

 looked like poachers. 



On two occasions Monk took away dogs 

 from his sons and nephews, one of them being 

 a good lurcher dog, and the other a cross-bred 

 dog, trained for gate netting. These animals 

 he brought to me to shoot, and shoot them I 

 did, in his presence. This may appear cruel 

 and unnecessary, but it is the only thing to be 

 done ; a dog trained for poaching is incurable, 

 and will always be a poacher. If you want to 

 save your game, and prevent a poaching dog 

 coming on your land to hunt, you must shoot 

 him. 



