A June Festivity 



foregathered again. The huntsman asked the 

 keeper if he were engaged for the following 

 Tuesday morning, and on receiving a reply in 

 the negative, he astonished that worthy by tell- 

 ing him to meet him at the earth at 8 a.m., as 

 he was going to dig out his litter. The keeper 

 was indignant, the huntsman was obdurate, and 

 finally an arrangement was made to meet at the 

 earth at the time mentioned. 



On the Tuesday morning the huntsman was 

 there with a man or two to dig, and a terrier. 

 Again the keeper expostulated, pointing out 

 quite justly that it was " hard lines " to have a 

 litter removed when he had been wishing for 

 one for so many years. The huntsman agreed, 

 but said there was no help for it — " orders were 

 orders " — and when he was asked where he was 

 going to take the cubs to, replied that he hadn't 

 got them yet. All through that hot June day 

 they dug, and at 8 p.m. they got to the far end 

 of the earth, and found — a big, old sow badger 

 and two young ones. 



Something the keeper had said in reply to the 



huntsman's questions had aroused his suspicions, 



201 



