2i6 THE GAMEKEEPER AT HOME. 



to his extreme mortification how deeply he has been 

 deceived ; but the discovery may not be made for years. 

 Of course all keepers of this character are not systemati- 

 cally vicious : many are only guilty occasionally, when a 

 peculiarly favourable opportunity offers. 



Another class of keeper is rather passively than 

 actively bad. This is the idle man, whose pipe is ever 

 in his mouth and whose hands are always in his pockets. 

 He is often what is called a good-natured fellow — soft- 

 spoken, respectful, and willing ; liked by everybody ; a 

 capital comrade in his own class, and, in fact, with too 

 many friends of a certain set. 



Gamekeeping is an occupation peculiarly favourable 

 to loafing if a man is inclined that way. He can sit on 

 the rails and gates, lounge about the preserves, go to sleep 

 on the sward in the shade ; call at the roadside inn, and, 

 leaning his gun against the tree from which the sign 

 hangs, quaff his quart in indolent dignity. By degrees 

 he easily falls into bad habits, takes too much liquor, finds 

 his hands unsteady, becomes too lazy to repress poaching 

 (which is a weed that must be constantly pulled up, or it 

 will grow with amazing rapidity), and finally is corrupted, 

 and shares the proceeds of bolder rascals. His assistants 

 do as they please. He has no control over them : they 

 know too much about him. 



It is a curious fact that there are poaching villages and 

 non-poaching villages. Out of a dozen or more parishes 



