THE BADGER 



been badgers there all his life, and no one 

 had ever been able to dig one out. This 

 rather stimulated us than otherwise, and we 

 had in the course of a few hours dug a 

 trench some six feet deep, and were nearing 

 the sounds of the subterranean conflict, which 

 had been sustained by the terriers, when 

 suddenly we found that we were above the 

 sound, and we sank a shaft down three feet 

 from the bottom of our trench, to find gal- 

 leries and chambers in all directions. The 

 battle had by this time moved, and we were 

 in despair at the prospect of following on 

 the level with a depth of nine feet of surface 

 soil to be lifted in every direction we turned. 

 I was listening at the bottom of the trench, 

 having penetrated to the third storey of this 

 underground barrack, when I distinctly heard 

 the " bump-bump " of the badger below me. 

 My companions came down and listened too, 

 and there was not the slightest doubt that 

 there was a fourth storey and labyrinth of 

 passages some three or four feet below us, 

 and for anything we knew another beyond. 



The day was far spent, the task was im- 



46 



