POACHING ON WHEELS. 161 



over hill and dale, through the deep country lanes, and 

 across the open down land, carrying with them two or 

 three such dogs to let loose as opportunity offers. Their 

 appearance as they rattle along is certainly not prepossess- 

 ing ; the expression of their canine friends trotting under 

 the trap, or peering over the side, stamps them at the first 

 glance as ' snappers up of unconsidered trifles ; ' but you 

 cannot arrest these gentlemen peacefully driving on the 

 ' king's highway ' simply because they have an ugly look 

 about them. From the trap they get a better view than 

 on foot ; standing up they can see over a moderately high 

 hedge, and they can beat a rapid retreat if necessary, with 

 the aid of a wiry pony. Passing by some meadows, they 

 note a goodly number of rabbits feeding in the short 

 aftermath. They draw up by a gateway, and one of them 

 dismounts. With the dogs he creeps along behind the 

 hedge (the object being to get between the bunnies and 

 their holes), and presently sends the dogs on their mission. 

 The lurchers are tolerably sure of catching a couple 

 young rabbits are neither so swift nor so quick at doubling 

 as the older ones. Before the farmer and his men, who 

 are carting the summer-ricks in an adjacent field, can quite 

 comprehend what the unusual stir is about yonder, the 

 poachers are off, jogging comfortably along, with their game 

 hidden under an old sack or some straw. 



Their next essay is among the ploughed fields, where 



the corn is ripening and as yet no reapers are at work, so 



M 



