THE BADGER 



a summer's day with a slight refreshment at 

 one, handled pick and shovel and spade, 

 fought the terriers, and gone on through the 

 afternoon, evening, and a black wet night, 

 without even a drop of water to slake our 

 parched throats, deserted by all but one 

 faithful workman, and on till the grey dawn 

 of another day, which found us as weary, wet, 

 and wounded, and as disreputable a looking 

 company of three men and four terriers as 

 ever survived a bloody action. At five 

 o'clock we secured a splendid pair of badgers, 

 which we bore home on aching backs, fol- 

 lowed by our gallant little team of draggled 

 and dirty terriers. On another occasion, it 

 took my brother and myself, some ten labour- 

 ers and keepers, and nine terriers, from lo 

 till 5.30 to take an old 30-lb. dog bad- 

 ger, in an earth which had only one hole, 

 and where it was a case of following straight 

 into the hill. It is wonderful what can be 

 done by twelve men with pick, spade, and 

 shovel in seven hours. On this occasion 

 we dug a trench ten feet long into the hill, 

 and then the depth of bearing necessitated 



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