Page:The Hare.djvu/129

Rh wife, hard put to it to maintain herself and her children during the absence of the breadwinner in some one of Her Majesty's gaols, would gladly sacrifice his dog for the sake of having one mouth less to feed. In this way such an one fell into my possession. It was a rather small, active, brindled animal, built on the lines of a good greyhound—a bitch, like all poachers' dogs, for, as the keeper is often accompanied by his retriever or night dog, a dog would be likely to stand to exchange civilities, and so give the keeper a chance to approach within shot; a bitch, on the other hand, will bolt at the first appearance of danger, and is generally taught to make her way home alone without betraying her master. Being kept continually in the dark, and never allowed to fraternise with strangers, their senses are especially acute at night, and they will rarely allow any stranger to approach near enough to identify them.

The usual way of working a lurcher of this kind is to drive quietly along the roads in a spring-cart till a likely field of seeds or pasture is reached; at a noiseless signal the dog is out of the cart and ranging the field just like a wide-ranging setter. Any hare sitting or feeding is found by nose, roused, and a course begins. Meanwhile the poacher has quickly set across the gateway a light silk net, easily carried in the pocket.