A GOOD GROUND-ASH STICK. 20i 



people, but it don't do no good. What's the use of sum- 

 moning a chap for sneaking about with a cur dog and a 

 wire in his pocket .'' His mates in the village clubs to- 

 gether and pays his fine, and he laughs at you. Why, 

 down in the town there them mechanic chaps have got a 

 regular society to pay these here fines for trespass, and the 

 bench they claps it on strong on purpose. But it ain't no 

 good ; they forks out the tin, and then goes and haves a 

 spree at a public. Besides which, if I can help it, I don't 

 much care to send a man to gaol — this, of course, is 

 between you and me — unless he uses his gun. If he uses 

 his gun there ain't nothing too bad for him. But these 

 here prisons — every man as ever I knowed go to gaol 

 always went twice, and kept on going. There ain't 

 nothing in the world like a good ground-ash stick. When 

 you gives a chap a sound dressing with that there article, 

 he never shows his face in your wood no more. There's 

 fields about here where them mechanics goes as regular as 

 Saturday comes to try their dogs, as they calls it — and a 

 precious lot of dogs they keeps among 'em. But they 

 never does it on this estate : they knows my habits, you 

 see. There's less summonses goes up from this property 

 than any other for miles, and it's all owing to this here 

 stick, A bit of ash is the best physic for poaching as I 

 knows on.' 



I suspect that he is a little mistaken in his belief that 

 it is the dread of his personal prowess which keeps tres- 



