THE POACHER 35 



head-keeper. Mr. Gaiters was a mild-speaking, humor- 

 ous, yet patient and godly man, and despite his honest 

 endeavours toget thebetterof his unscrupulous enemies, 

 the victories were generally on their side. Things went 

 from bad to worse till one eventful night. The tenant 

 had retired to his smoking-room for the evening, when 

 a servant came running in to inform him that a big 

 tussle was going on at the end of one of the coverts, 

 owing to the fact that a gang of poachers had been sur- 

 prised in their work by the head and under-keeper. 

 From the account he received, he imagined it to be an 

 encounter of the first magnitude. He was about to set 

 out for the field of action when an eccentric idea came 

 into his brain. He rushed to the gunroom, took down 

 his gun, put some cartridges into his pocket, and "rushed 

 into the night." As soon as he got within fifty yards 

 of the cover in which the "fun" was proceeding, he 

 loaded his gun and began to empty cartridge after 

 cartridge on to the tops of the trees. He could hear 

 the tramp of feet in the distance and the evident sound 

 of struggle. When he ceased firing, this sound ceased 

 also. Another servant at this moment came running 

 up, and then the second part of the coup was carried 

 out. A sheep had been killed that very day, and he 

 immediately gave orders that some of the blood should 

 be brought to him. This he mixed with water in a 

 bucket. He then secured an old pair of tweed trousers, 

 which he roughly tore into pieces. Accompanied by 

 his servant, he now set out for the cross-roads near to 



