[FROM RELECRAVLA.]

Otago Witness, Issue 1149, 6 December 1873, Page 21

[FROM RELECRAVLA.]

It's worse than gambling,, sir, audit beats drinking- fcoljler. k Skittles* is enticing, but poaching is, the captain. Drop it, sir? 'I could wipe off my score at the Crowing Cock easier- than I could drop my love iof sport; and when I says that I says a good deal, for the landlord swears I shall die in his debt ; and I believe him. If a man takes to poaching he's done for as safe as houses. I've been a private sporty, man now for twenty years come Martinmas, and I'm a bigger old sajttrney than ever in the way of liking it, O, sartinly, some gives it up, bvfc not without their eyes fails 'em. There's old Jacob Greene the blacksmith, he's retired a good bit now, He do say it was because the |Mejbhody man made him oneasy in hjta imind ; and he's a deacon now, and. has ihad " a call " to preach. Bu,t the truth ia, the blinds have gone down, sir. He can't see ; and a good poacher mwst be able.to hit a black cat at forty yards on a dusky njight. Old Jacob Greene, sir, is like Solomon npw. Solomon, sir, when, 'he got sj>,old he couldn't enjoy hisself the. same as he used, said it was all vanity and vexation of spirit., JSp doubt it is vexing

when a fellow tries to carry on the old games, ami can't.

How did I begin the game ? Well, ifc wur like this : at eighteen I wur in service with old master Thtirisfcon, at the Dove Holes ; and Will Oakley wur my fellowservant. A fine strapping fellow wur Will. Gone to Americay now. He saved his money, sir, and I spends mine ; that's the difference. Howether, as we sat on. the sheltry side of a hedge, eating our bread-and-cheese, we seed the plump pheasants strut so peert out of the wood that skirted the field we wur harrowing ; and so tame, like our Cochins. Will looked at 'em, ailrairing-like, for a minute, and says he :—: —

"Them birds, Rooks " — that's my name, sir, you see— " them birds is like many silly men : they won't take a good thing when they has the chance. There's pans full of tommy for 'em in the wood, and yet they come dibbling in our field. I wonder," says he, considering a minute or two, — " I wonder how they would taste baked I "

1 hadn't no notion, and I said so. Will sat twirling his billycock slowly, and looking at the pheasants.

" I was a-wondering why you and me, Hooks, should have to sit in a ditch eating barley-bread and skim-dick, whilst Squire Dormer eats pheasants and lives like a fighting - cock 1 Wild animals," says Will, a-pointing across the field to where the pheasants wur feeding, and astretching out his fingers like the Methody man when he preaches on the horse-block at the Crowing Cock — " wild animals was sent for the service of men ; they was give to everybody, not to the Squire. Ther's the book of Genises on that, and parson can't deny it, though he'd like to."

" There's another thing, too. If you and me, Rooks, was to sneak round the corner of that wood, and floor a couple of them birds with a big hedge-stake, or if we was to shoot 'em at nights, the justices would lecture us like anythink, and swear we was rogues and vagabones. But if Squire and his lot wur to make a bio- bag them very justices would say, "Vhat noble sportsmen ; what a love of sport ! " Laws is rum things," says he, a-scratehing of his head, " and justices ain't no better than they should be."

Well, sir, I took up. oncommoa raw agin the Sqiu're, and Will soon persuaded me to pitch into the pheasants. He was mixed up with & regular gang of poachers at FoosetQwa, and easily got a gun, which we used to hide in an old drain. The first night we went out,, when we left our room over the stables it was terrible dark, even for country fellows that gjt used to it. Will led me over the fields to a wood right in front of Squire's house. They called it the belt, sir, because it ran all round the home park. A nice wood it I wur-, I had neated in it often when a lad There wur doaens of squirrels in it. Oncommon cute animals they be, sir — brushes ! away the dry beech-leaves with, their tails and then turns 'em round to pick up the nuts. Being so ne<ar Squire's house I felt afraid, and said so>. "Never yon mind," says Will ; "the keepers is away at the Asps spinneys, and we're as safe as if we were in heaven, because they don't expect us, Ha'n't you heard parson say how we fooks too high for things close by?** j Will sniggered quietly to himself at the thought of the parson. But I felt hunlced,, for the big hound at the stables yelped as if he knew we was there. The- river washed over the ford with a dismal sound. The toads on the lake croaked awful. The night-wind sounded sad: amongst the trees. The great beU at the hall rung for prayers. The churoh clock struck eleven. Gradually the lights at the hall went out one by ojft©r I was sorry to see the last one go. '■'Look up there, Books," says TOP» leading me underneath some trees and pointing upwards. Hooked up as- bard as I eo\ild. But, lor bless yao, it was too dark to see even a white suaock-frock. "O, it don't matter," says; Will. "You keep quiet, hold the ba§ > and do as I tell you, and no mistake/ '"Will put the gun to his shoulder ai*d fired twice. In a minute the quiet- wood was in an uproar. Thousands of' wings flapped. Cock 'pheasants screeched with frigh^ and the hens cried chorus. Blackbirds i^id" thrushes all wanted to know what was up ; and all the tiny birds twittered like mad. I was almost scared to death by a pheasant whirring close by my ear-hole, and was just bolting ; only Will collared me. " Where are you offto-, you fool V he growled, a-laughing to himself like. "Give us the bag." I picked ifc \\Pj for- I had dropped it in my frightu Will shoves two birds in it, and strides away to the edge of the wood. It wur a sight, sir, to see him slash off across the fields and clear the hedges. I followed. Right away from the ha.XL we went, towards, a wood two miles off. As we run* we heard gates slam, and the big: hpundi had stopped barking ; so we knew that the Squire's folks was out, and thafr the dog wur loosed. When we got to' the other wood> we wur dead-beat I waotec}

»

to go home, but Will wur in high spirits, and swore the game wur only begun, and that he would have more birds. The devil wur in him, sir, and it would ha' been a bad night for Tom Jarvis the keeper if he bad come across us then. Well, sir, after we had rested and got wind. Will did the same trick again, and brought down two more pheasants. Then we run for home like hares, and got in safe without seeing anybody. We played this game pretty often, and the village got into a regular hubbub. The Squire swore there were some of the cunn incest thieves about the estate that ever was, and thought we was a gang that plotted to do business on different parts of preserves. The first night we went out, old Jacob, the smith, wur suspected ; but the old man knew we wur out, and had been cute enough to go on that very night to a prayer meeting at a chapel four miles away, along with one of* the Squire's woodmen who had also taken a pious turn, and they two easily cleared one another. But we got nabbed at last, sir ; for one night, when we come home with the game, who did we find waiting for us in the farmyard, but Tom Jarvis the keeper and his man ? They sus2)ected us, you see, and as they couldn't catch us they played us that deep trick. They threatened to pull us up the next day ; and after they went, Will Oakley got his little bit of' money together and ran off to the coal-pits. I had no money, and couldn't go.

How did I get out of it, sir > Woll, master persuaded me to go to the hall to ax Squire's pardon. Master went and told how Will Avas a bad lad, and had led me on ; and that I wouldn't do it again. Squire stormed and swore shocking ; but he agreed to make it up. When it was all over, says I to him, "We ought to have a drop of drink about this job, sir, seeing as how it's all settled ; and a mouthful of bread-and-cheese wouldn't be amiss either."

" Why, you impudent scam]?," says he, ci If you ain't off sharp I'll have you put in the stocks yet." He went away and told his lady, for I heard her a-laughing hearty, and she came out into the passage and hollered out to the footman, ' ' Slater, " says she, "give that man as much as he can eat and drink. " And he did too ; and I didn't make a bad day, for a snare that I set a-going home had a hare in it that

night. It's easy enough to dispose of the game sir, provided you deals with a respectable man. The little hucksters will make their own terms as to price, or else they'll split on yon ; so it's better to go to an honest man at once. My man, Mr. Crouch, keeps the biggest shop in Foosetown, and deals with all the gentry. A very tidy man, sir, but a bit addled about old picters and crockeryvare. Says he to me one day a-sitting in his parlour, a-drink-ing a drop of sherry wine, "Mr. Rooks," says he", "that jricter over by there," pointing to an old smudge so dark that I could hardly see it, " that," says he, "is a Tishiun. My picter restorer won't tell me whether it's a copy or a horiginal ; he ■vvo'nt commit hisself. It's the Tribute Money is the picter. Observe the hexpression of that Pharisee's hyebrow, Mr. Rooks."

" And so that's aTishiun, is it?" said I.

"It is, ' says he. " It's the picter that "brought Tishiun hout ; and if it's only a horiginal it's worth its thousands." ]But Crouch is a good pay and an honest man.

O yes, sir. I've been nabbed four times. We helps one another to pay the fine ; but the last time I had three months on the wheel. No joke that, sir. It makes your arms and your thighs feel like babies'. I warn't good for nothing for a month after, and had to go on the parish. Everything else in gaol, sir, is very comfortable ; but the wheel is the very devil. I'll sartinly thrash Tom Jarvis for that, some night. Yes, sir, I'm married, but- my wife has got rumatiz by field work, and has lialf-a-crown .a week from the parish. I'm a labourer, and earn ten shillings a week, besides what I can in ike by poaching, perhaps four of five shillings more. I've two boys, ten and twelve. School, sir 1 O no, they're worth five shillings a week to me. Better drop poaching 1 No, air, I'm blow d if I do.

" A novelty, in the shape of a ' wolf boy' has," acc'irling to the Pioneer, " arrived at Luckri"W. and has been handed over to Dr Whi^haw to undergo a process of taming in the lunatic asylum. The boy, who is now about 12 years of age, was, it is said, carried off by wolves when an infant, and has remained with them until caught a short time since and recognised by his parents. At first he walked .on all- fours, now he walks on his two feet only. He has long hair on the head. The body is much scat red. He cannot speak nor understand a single word, and his parents could not keep him because he attacked them and tried to devour them at night. He tears raw meat to pieces with his teeth, and eats it as ravenously as any wolf would. He bites and snaps at any we who attempts to touch him."