THE GAMEKEEPER AND HIS GOLGOTHA. 95 



down into the shelter of the leaves, and a dark 

 shadow would glide over the sunny sward. 

 Then from out the pines there was a rush of 

 wings, and a Sparrow-hawk would be seen to 

 dash from the bushes with something in its 

 talons. This was repeated day after day, until 

 one afternoon as the hawk rounded the corner 

 of the wood, it was seen by the Keeper. He 

 lay close among the brush, but not so closely 

 as to escape the sharp eye of the hawk. It 

 doubled, but just as it did so the eye of the 

 old man glanced along the barrels, and his 

 finger touched the trigger. There was a 

 puif of white smoke, a cloud of feathers, and 

 the marauder dropped with a dead thud to 

 the sward. The old man picks up the bird, 

 follows a path through the bushes, and suspends 

 it in his " larder." This consists of a number 

 of unbarked rails nailed across two stalwart 

 oaks. Here is a sorry array of Cats, Jays, 

 Magpies, Squirrels, even the skins of "Vipers 

 and Slow-worms. 



The Sparrow-hawk is the most arrant of the 

 poachers. Ask the Gamekeeper to detail to 

 you the character of this daring marauder, 

 and he will record a black and bloody list of 



