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134 We followed him gloomily to the cab, and there the two brutes were lying, panting and miserable. What they had had we never knew, but it appears that their guardian, thinking himself quite secure in his fresh quarters, had locked his dogs into a stable and retired to rest. At five o'clock in the morning he had gone down to release them, when he found them, as he said, apparently dying. He got them an emetic, and this no doubt saved their lives, but one of them was never any good afterwards, and the other took months to recover.

We never found out who did the dirty work, but a hole had been cut in the window, and the poisoned meat thrown in; doubtless the poisoner had found at the first village where the dogs had gone, and followed them. We sent the poor brutes home, and went on to the coursing ground, where someone quickly asked us what was the matter. It appears there were some long odds books open, and, though our dogs had been quoted at five and six to one respectively overnight, they had gone out to any odds you like in the morning. We went to the stewards and withdrew them, and we also offered a reward, but probably it was not large enough, as nothing ever came to light; but it was some satisfaction to know that not a penny was got out of the individual courses,