io BROADLAND SPORT 



On the way homeward Jack was jubilant. Considering the 

 dressing down he had had his spirits were quite remarkable ; 

 he seemed to emulate the immortal Mark Tapley. But the 

 uncertainty of the joys of this life is proverbial, and on open- 

 ing the evening's letters his master's face assumed a serious 

 expression. One of them was an official communication on 

 blue paper and read as follows : 



"SUFFOLK CONSTABULARY, 

 "FIRTHORPE POLICE STATION, 



" October, 18. 



" SIR, You will doubtless be surprised to hear that recently several 

 large hampers of game have been sent out by carrier from your village 



to , and taken in by a well-known receiver of poached game. My 



suspicions were aroused, and I have, after some considerable difficulty, 

 succeeded in tracing the consignments to a man whom I have long sus- 

 pected of being the associate of poachers. The man is named Jack 

 Sparrow, and I believe you employ him as keeper on the Burnt Hill 

 Farm. 



" I shall be glad if you will give me a call and discuss the matter with 

 me. Yours obediently, J. B. WIDEAWAKE, 



" Inspector" 



Jack's master stared blankly at the letter for some minutes, 

 then he fairly waltzed round the place. To think that he had 

 been thus taken in and his generosity imposed upon drove him 

 nearly mad ; and his friends, how they would all laugh at him 

 and say, " Didn't I tell you how it would be when I first 

 heard you had taken on a man like that ? " " What could 

 you expect ? " "I never heard of an ex-poacher who was any 

 good as a keeper yet." " I don't believe in the old maxim 

 about the best gamekeeper," etc. " Once a poacher always 

 a poacher," and so on. What should he do ? At first he 

 thought of a prosecution, but on second thoughts, and as 

 his anger cooled, he determined, for the reasons mentioned, 

 to endeavour to keep it dark if possible, and to drop 

 Mr Sparrow by degrees so as not to arouse people's 

 suspicions. 



With this determination he had Jack once more " on the 

 carpet." When he found the game was up and his only 



