That was a most unfortunate day for me in school, for, as happens
sometimes, I was wrong over one of my lessons, and was sent down, and it
seemed to upset all the others, so that it was just like setting up a
row of dominoes, then you touch one and it sends all the rest over.
Scold, find fault, grumble,--Mr Hasnip was just as if his breakfast had
not agreed with him because he got up too early; and at last I was back
in my seat, with my face burning, my head aching, and a general feeling
of misery troubling me, which was made the worse by the keen enjoyment
Burr major and his parasites found in triumphing over me, and coming by
my place every now and then to whisper--"Poor fellow, then!--turned
back--going to be caned," and the like, till I ground my teeth, clenched
my fists, and sat there bent over the exercises before me, seeing
nothing but the interior of Lomax's cottage, and listening to his
instructions how to stop that blow and retort with another, till in
imagination I could fancy myself thrashing my enemies, and making for
myself a lasting peace.
"Never mind, old chap," whispered Mercer. "Rabbits to-night, and some
day such a licking for old Eely and Dicksee."
The thoughts of the expedition that night were comforting, and I tried
to think of the High Pines and the sandy slope with the holes where I
had often seen the rabbits pop in and out, but my head ached all the
same; and in spite of our half-hour in the play-field before dinner, I
had no appetite. During the afternoon, when my time came to go up to
Mr Hasnip's desk, I felt more stupid than ever, and on casting my eyes
sideways in search of a flying thought, there was Mr Rebble watching me
intently.
This made me more confused, and my next answer more blundering, so that
I was at last sent back to my desk in greater disgrace than ever, to
find Mercer, who was always constructing something, boring the edge of
his desk with a penknife, so as to make powder holes for a slate pencil
cannon.
"Catching it again?" he said.
"Yes," I replied dolefully.
"Didn't say you were to stop in and study, did he?"
"No, he didn't say that."
"Oh, that's all right, then."
"But it isn't all right. He scolded me horribly."
"Pooh! what of that? Every boy gets scolded. Never mind. I say, I
daresay we shall get a whole lot of rabbits. How would it be to ask
cook to make us a rabbit pie of two of them."
"Nonsense!"
"Oh, would it be? We could keep it up in the bin, and go and have jolly
feeds."
"Keep it up there, along with that poison stuff and nasty-smelling
skins! Ugh!"
"Well, it would be queer perhaps. I didn't think of that."
"Mr Rebble's looking at you two," whispered the boy nearest, and we
hurriedly went on with our work, but not for long. Mercer was too full
of the coming expedition, and soon began whispering again.
"But how are we to get away?" I said. "Some one is sure to see us."
"Oh, that's easy enough," he whispered. "There's going to be a bit of a
match to-night."
"But suppose they want us to field?"
"Then they'll want, for they will not be able to find us. You leave it
to me."
That was a long, dreary afternoon, and tea-time seemed as if it would
never arrive. When it did come round, though, with the cool air of
evening my headache began to go off, and as I grew better, the
excitement of the coming expedition, and the thoughts of how we were
going to elude the notice of the other boys, completed the cure.
We had half an hour's walk before us, to reach the High Pines by seven,
so that, as it grew near the time I began to be anxious.
We were in the schoolroom, deep in private study, and as Mercer studied,
he kept on turning his eyes to gaze round the room, repeating his
lessons all the while, so that he would not have looked particular if
any one had been watching us, but no one was visible. Every now and
then the voices of the boys in the play-field floated toward us, and we
sat in momentary expectation of being seen by one of the bigger fellows,
and ordered off into the field by our tyrants; but the moments still
glided by, and at last Mercer thrust his book into his desk.
"Now, then," he said in a low voice, "we must make a run for it, or old
Magg will think we are not coming."
"Which way are you going?" I asked.
"Right out through the garden, and by the back of the lodge. You follow
me, and, whatever you do, don't look back, as if you were afraid of
being seen."
It was risky work, I knew, but there was nothing to be gained by
hesitating, and it seemed to me that the very boldness of our attempt
helped us to a successful issue, for we went on, hearing voices from the
field, and once that of the Doctor, as he was walking up and down the
lawn with one of the ladies, whose light dress was seen for a few
moments through the trees. Then we were out in the road, walking fast
towards the General's woods, and soon after we passed into a field,
reached a copse, and Mercer uttered a faint "Hurrah!"
"I was expecting to hear some one shout after us every minute," he
cried, as we now hurried steadily along. "Oh dear, how you do fancy
things at a time like this!"
The evening was now delightful, and the fresh, sweet scent of the grass
we crushed beneath our feet was supplemented every now and then by that
of the abundant field camomile.
"Look out!" said Mercer; "there he goes. Isn't he early? I say, I
wonder whether that's one of old Dawson's owls."
For, as we passed along by the edge of the wood, a great white-breasted
bird flew by, and went softly along by the side of the trees, till it
disappeared far ahead.
"There's a rabbit," I said, as I caught sight of the white tuft of fur
which so often betrays the presence of the little creatures, and
directly after a sharp _rap, rap_--the warning given by them of danger--
was heard ahead, and a dozen ran rushing out of the field into the
shelter of the wood.
"Look at them, how they swarm!" cried Mercer. "Why we might catch a
hundred, and no one would be a bit the worse for it. Here, make haste,
or I shall be shouting at them, and we ought to be quiet now."
"Close there, aren't we?" I said.
"Yes; just through that next patch, and we shall be there."
"And suppose Magg hasn't come?"
"Why, we'll catch some without him."
"Without the ferret?"
"Oh, how stupid I am!" cried Mercer, and he went on, now in silence,
through some stunted firs, in and out by patches of gorse, with the
character of the ground quite changed, and then up a hilly slope crowned
with spruce trees, round which we skirted, to stop at last, breathless,
at the bottom of the slope facing south, with the dark green,
straight-stemmed trees above us; and Mercer gave his foot an angry stamp
as he looked round at the deserted place, where the pine branches glowed
of a ruddy bronze in the sunset light, and cried,--
"Oh, what a jolly shame!"
"Not here?" I said.
"No; and it's a nasty, mean trick to drag us all this way. I wish I had
kept the ferret instead of trusting him."
"What's to be done?"
"Oh, nothing," he replied despondently. "It's always the way, when I've
made up my mind for a bit of fun, something happens to stop it."
"Let's wait," I said. "He may come yet."
"Wait? Why, it'll be too dark to see to do anything in less than an
hour. Oh, won't I pay him out for--"
"There he is," I whispered, for I had just caught sight of a figure
lying down by a patch of furze; and we started off at a dog-trot, and
soon reached the spot.
"Why, I thought you hadn't come, Magg," cried Mercer excitedly.
"That's what I was thinking," said the man. "There, chuck yourselves
down; if you stand up like that, somebody may see you."
I did not like this, for it was going in for more hiding and
secretiveness, but all the same it was fascinating, and, dropping on our
knees in the short, wiry grass, we waited for our instructor in the art
of ferreting rabbits to begin.
"Well," I said, as we stared at him, and he stared back at us, "aren't
you going to begin?"
"No," he said coolly.
"Then what's the good of our coming?"
"Oh, do begin, Magg! We shall soon have to run back. Where's old
longbody?"
"Yonder," said Magglin coolly, nodding his head at the slope just above
us.
"Not loose?"
"Yes, he's loose."
"But--"
"Why, can't you see, lad? and do be quiet, or the rabbits won't bolt. I
put him in one of the holes ten minutes ago."
A flush of excitement seemed to run through me now, as I noted that
every here and there were places in the turfy bank where the sandy soil
had been scraped out, and the next moment I saw what had escaped me
before, that every hole I could see was covered with a fine net.
Mercer had seen it too, and I saw him rub his hands softly as if
delighted with the promise of sport, but another ten minutes passed, and
the rabbits made no sign of being anxious to rush out and be caught, and
I began to grow impatient.
"Hadn't you better try another place?" I whispered, but the man held up
his hand, drew his knees under him, and crouched in an attitude that was
almost doglike in its animal aspect.
Then there was a rushing noise just above us, and Magglin scrambled
forward and dashed his hands down upon a rabbit which came bounding out
of a hole and rolled down the slope, tangled in the net.
The next minute it had received a chop on the back of the neck, ceased
struggling, been transferred to Magglin's pocket, and the net was spread
over the hole again.
"That's a bad farret, ain't it, Master Mercer?" said Magglin, showing
his teeth. "You'd best sell un back to me; I should be glad on it for
five shillings."
"Hush! I thought I heard one, Magg," whispered Mercer, ignoring the
remark. "I say, let me catch the next."
"Either of you may if you can," he replied; and we waited again for some
time.
"Try some fresh place," whispered Mercer.
"Nay; they all run one into another; the ground under here's like the
rat-holes up at the old house. There goes one."
For a rabbit bolted from a hole higher up, turned on seeing us, and
darted up toward the pines.
"Farret's working beautifully," said Magglin.
"How many holes have you covered?" I asked.
"'Bout four-and-twenty, and all my nets. You young gents ought to pay
me for the use of them."
"Here's one!" cried Mercer, making a leap in a similar fashion to that
of the under gardener, and he too caught an unfortunate rabbit, whose
rush had been right into one of the little loose nets, in which it was
tangled directly.
"Here, let me kill un for you," said Magglin.
"No; I know now. I can do it," said Mercer. Then I sprang to my feet,
and my first impulse was to run, my second to stand fast, for how he got
up to us so close from behind without being seen was a mystery to me;
but there, just in the midst of the confusion and excitement of
capturing the second rabbit, was Bob Hopley, the keeper, his big, sturdy
form seeming to tower above us, and, caught, as we were in this
nefarious act, filling me with dread.
"Got you this time then," he said gruffly.
"There, what did I say?" cried Magglin, in a sharp, acid voice that
sounded almost like a woman's. "I told you that you oughtn't to be
catching them rabbids, and now you see what trouble you're in."
"Oh, you told 'em so, did you, my lad?" said the keeper in a deep, angry
voice, and he seemed like a great mastiff growling at a common-looking
cur. "Then I 'spose it's their ferret in yon burrows, eh? there it is!"
he continued, as the buff-looking, snaky animal now came out of one of
the holes close by us, and Mercer stooped and picked it up as it made
for the dead rabbit.
"Oh yes, it's their farret, 'tarn't mine," said Magglin quickly.
"Yes, it's my ferret, Mr Hopley," Mercer said dolefully.
"And their nets, eh? Here, you stand still. You try to run away, and
I'll send a charge o' small shot after you, and that can run faster than
you can."
"More'n you dare do, big Bob Hopley," cried Magglin, backing away up the
hill; and I thought how cowardly the man's nature must be, for him to
propose this expedition and then sneak away from us like that. But
almost at the same moment I saw a tall, stern gentleman appear from
among the pine trees toward which Magglin was backing, for the keeper
had presented his gun, evidently to take the labourer's attention, as I
saw that, if matters went on in the way in which they were going, our
companion would back right up into the new-comer's arms.
"You stop, will you!" cried the keeper.
"You stop yourself," cried Magglin. "You've got them as belongs to the
ferret and was rabbiting. Good-night."
"Will you stop, or am I to shoot?" cried Hopley.
"Yah!" came back; and as the keeper dropped his gun into the hollow of
his arm with a grim smile on his face, there was a loud _thwack_ and a
startled, "Oh!" for the tall gentleman had stood still, Magglin had
reached him, and a stick fell heavily across the poacher's shoulders.
"You scoundrel!" he roared, making a snatch at Magglin's collar, but the
man was too slippery. He dropped on his knees, rolled down the slope a
few yards, sprang up, and dashed off.
"Don't matter, Sir Hawkus!" shouted the keeper. "I know my gentleman,
and can send him a summons. Now, young gents, you've got in for it this
time. Bad company's done for you."
"Oh, Bob," whispered Mercer, "let us go this time! let's run."
"Nay, here's Sir Hawkus coming; and here's some one else too," he
continued, as I saw two figures come trotting up by the way we had
reached the slope, to get to us nearly as soon as the tall,
stern-looking gentleman.
"Who are these?" he cried. "Boys from the Doctor's school? You young
dogs, you!" he shouted, shaking his cane. "Who are you?"
"Two of our pupils, Sir Hawkhurst," said Mr Rebble, panting and out of
breath. "You wretched boys, has it come to this?"
Mercer looked at the speaker, then at Mr Hasnip's smoked spectacles,
and then at me, as General Sir Hawkhurst Rye from the Hall, a gentleman
of whom I had often heard, but whom I had never seen, exclaimed,--
"Well, they are caught red-handed. Rabbits, poaching engines--and
what's that?"
"A ferret, sir," said Mercer humbly.
"Humph, yes. Now, Mr Schoolmaster, what's it to be? Do you take these
boys now, to bring them up before me and another magistrate to-morrow,
or shall I have them marched off by my keeper to the lock-up?"