I should doubt very much whether I was the only one of our party (having, as we had, to stand our ground singly) whose blood tingled at the fancied approach of the keeper, or who feared to turn his head lest he should encounter the glaring eyes of poor Mark's ghost peeping over his shoulder. For several minutes the silence was awful, and I almost feared that the Tinker had turned traitor, and was gone to tell the enemy where we might be found. Who knows, thought I, but he may have sold us at so much a head? Who knows but we may sleep in the Round House to-night, and be whipped through the village tomorrow? Who knows—but my reverie was cut short by a light tittuping sound at no great distance. It stopped, and I heard a similar approach in another direction. Presently the sounds increased, and I heard them every where. The hares were coming upon us in myriads, and my heart beat so high, and I became so nervous, that I question whether I could have been more alarmed by the charge of a troop of lions.
At last, the terriers, which had been taught to run mute, having scientifically brought up all the stragglers, made a dash at the main body, and on they came. The rush was so great that the net, in many places, was borne down, and the cries were like a concert of hurdy-gurdies. Every man had his hands full of work, and sprung about as nimbly as the terriers, who knew their business too well to be slow in stopping the alarm. I myself scrambled about as though I had been mad, tumbled over dogs, hares, and men, and was bruised from head to foot, and frightened out of my wits. I thought we had done enough for one night, and so thought the Smasher, who evidently spoke under the influence of great terror, but the Tinker and the rest were not satisfied. "Zounds," said he, "there is a flock of sheep penned in the field. You will not go without some of them, squire?"
The squire, however, was merely a chivalric thief, an appropriator of the fera naturae, and happened to have no taste for sheep-stealing, which was reluctantly abandoned.
"Well, if we mustn't, we mustn't," muttered the engineer; "but, nevertheless, we'll have a few of these hares that have jumped over the net, unless they contrive to jump back again."
"You cannot get them out of the wood," said I, with increasing anxiety to be gone.
"We'll try, though," replied he. "Do you go, Jem Smasher, and open Mark's Bloody Gate. You know where it is."
The Smasher shrunk back.
"I told you so," added the Swiller; "let me go."
"Do, Dickey, and we'll drive the flock of sheep through the cover. If that does not stir it up, nothing will." The manoeuvre was much applauded. The net was re-adjusted, and we proceeded in a body to the sheep-fold, which, after we had divested the old ram of his bell, we laid open, driving the flock, as well as the darkness would permit, towards Mark's Gate. It was a service of some difficulty, and we were obliged to employ all our band upon it, excepting two, who chose to watch the nets rather than enter the wood. One was the Smasher, who had objections which he did not trouble himself to explain; and the other was the Skulker, who had a remarkable antipathy to steel traps.
We brought our forces safely to the Bloody Gate, and, when we had scattered them well through the bushes, set the dogs on to drive them down the hanging. The poor animals were wofully alarmed at such unusual proceedings, and bounded in every direction like wild things, the dogs still pressing them nearer and nearer to the net. Many of them were hung by their wool in the brambles, making noise enough to rouse the country, and our apprehensions caused us to follow up the rest at a rate which tore our clothes from our backs, and almost skinned us alive.
At length our journey was performed, and our party, men and sheep, dashed at once into the clover field, amidst the crying of a world of hares, and the more tremendous exclamations of "Julius Caesar!" My hair stood on end, and I gave the word to run for it; but it was too late, for the rattling of cudgels had commenced, and I received a salute on the crown, from some unknown hand, which laid me sprawling. This was just the thing for me—a thump always made me courageous, and I was on my legs in an instant. I could not, however, follow up my enemy so well as I wished, for we were in the midst of the flock, which were bouncing between my legs, and tripping me up, every instant, with the net in which many had entangled themselves. The rest fared no better than I, but rolled about and swore and banged away till the watchword was totally forgotten, and not one of us knew friend from foe.
