166 The Naturalist in Siluria. 



guilt apparent than the canine by his side — the latter 

 doubting the chances of a conviction, hesitated about 

 taking him up; perhaps all the more from his being a 

 stalwart, determined-looking fellow. But, just then, one 

 of the ferrets — a white one — showed its snout at the 

 entrance of the burrow ; and down dropped the keeper 

 on his knees to lay hold of it. The animal, however, 

 which would have allowe.d its owner to catch it, when 

 approached by the stranger shied back again into the 

 hole out of sight. It was a wide-mouthed cavity against 

 a sloping bank ; so the keeper flung himself flat on his 

 face, thrust head and shoulders in after, and commenced 

 feeling for the ferret. Seeing him so situated, a grand 

 strategic idea flashed across, the brain of the poacher. 

 He was standing by the side of a hedge lately "pleached," 

 and plucking up one of the pointed stakes, he stuck it 

 into the bank between the keeper's legs, close up to his 

 hips, driving it in firm and fast. The man endeavouring 

 to draw out again, and finding himself fixed, commenced 

 a series of wrigglings, accompanied by angry objurga- 

 tions, that seemed as if sent up from the bottom of a well. 

 In time his voice changed to that of entreaty, begging to 

 be released. He could not release himself, as the stake 

 hindered him from backing out of the hole, and it was 

 too high for him to lift his legs over it. But the poacher 

 was pitiless, and gave no ear to his entreaties, alone busy- 

 ing himself about the recovery of his ferrets. These had, 

 meanwhile, returned out of the burrow, and popping them 

 into the ample pockets of his velveteen — his nets re- 

 covered, too — he ran away from the place, leaving the 

 hapless keeper with his head in the rabbit-hole ! And 

 in this " fix " the man remained throughout the rest of 

 the night, and till near noon of the next day j indeed, he 



