Chapter 13

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_ CHAPTER THIRTEEN.

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?" _

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