POULTRY DAMAGES 365 



suffocate " all the foxes he can come across ? 1 

 trow not, and I fancy he won't do that just yet, 

 for by his letter he seems to be a good fellow 

 enough. Just imagine what the world would be 

 like if, when a man was slighted by his letters not 

 being answered or attended to, he took the law 

 into his own hands and " trapped, poisoned, and 

 slew " indiscriminately. I should have had a busy 

 time myself of late, for in important matters some 

 of my correspondents thought, or seemed to think, 

 that I was the last person who had a right to know 

 anything. One person had to get tenders for a 

 contract for some work I had to do ; he got the 

 tenders and kept them carefully till he saw me, 

 and expected me to come to a decision on the 

 matter in five minutes. I did not slay his Short- 

 horn bull, nor trap his terrier dog, nor suffocate 

 his horse, nor poison his pigs, and what I said 

 does not matter. 



My worthy correspondent, for I am sure he is 

 worthy, must take an opportunity of putting his 

 case again to the members of the hunt. Let him 

 speak to the Master on the subject, telling him 

 courteously of his losses and how they were in- 

 curred. Let him show that he had taken every 

 reasonable precaution to keep his fowls out of the 

 foxes' reach, and I make no doubt he will be 

 listened to. But whatever he does let him not 

 " trap, poison, slay, suffocate," for that never pays 

 in the long-run in a hunting country, he may take 

 my word. 



THE END 



