TRESPASSERS AND POACHERS 245 



he thought there was ' a smartish sprinklin', though 

 he hadn't seen ne'er'n in thic vield.' 



The sly poacher always has some excuse very 

 often worse than none at all. A plausible excuse 

 will save a poacher who knows that he was com- 

 mitting nothing more than simple trespass at the 

 actual moment when the keeper appeared ; the 

 chances are even that the latter has seen nothing 

 culpable. A very favourite excuse is that of sudden 

 indisposition. Such an excuse was offered me by 

 two men whom I had been watching one Sunday 

 morning. I got up quite close to them in a spinney 

 where they were trying to dig out a rabbit with the 

 help of a dog. I watched the operations for several 

 minutes before disturbing the diggers. I told them 

 it was news to me that relief from their alleged 

 indisposition was to be found in the depths of a 

 rabbit-burrow. One December afternoon two carters 

 had returned home early owing to prolonged heavy 

 rain. Of course, they never dreamt that I should 

 be about their rather out-of-the-way part of the 

 place on such an afternoon. I happened to see 

 them, armed with cudgels, in the pouring rain, 

 searching along each side of a rabbity hedge, and 

 among some tufts of grass near by. Owing to the 

 wetness of the grass, and to the fact that the men 

 did not trouble now and again to look round, I was 

 able to walk up behind one of them and touch him 

 gently on the shoulder before he saw me. I asked 



