ted with the apartments occupied by his old sire and dam, together
with their present family. Eventually, through these precautions, he
saved his principal earthworks from destruction.

Had Brock been able to ascertain the meaning of man's frequent visits to
the neighbourhood of his dwelling, he would have sorely lamented the
killing of the young foxes by the female badger. In the eyes of the
Hunt, vulpicide was an unpardonable crime, whether committed by man or
beast; and, when the dead fox-cubs were shown to the huntsman, he vowed
vengeance on the slayer. Because of a recent exchange, between the two
local Hunts, of certain outlying farms, it happened that this huntsman
was not he who in past seasons had tethered his horse near the "set"
while he "drew" the cover on foot. The new-comer soon discovered the
"earth"; but after a brief examination, from which he concluded, because
of the strong taint still lingering, that it was tenanted by a fox, he
walked away towards the farm. Fearing a reprimand from the Master if the
mysterious slaughter of the foxes could not be explained, he made
careful enquiries of the farmers, by whom he was told of the badger and
the sheep, as well as of the poacher who had seen Brock's sire in the
upland fields two years ago; but he laughed at the first tale, and for
want of adequate information paid no heed to the second. Nevertheless,
when he again visited the "earth," and, stooping, saw the withered
leaves and fern, and detected, not now the scent of a fox, but the scent
of half a dozen badgers, his sluggish brain began to move in the right
direction. Stories he had heard by the lodge fireside when he was a lad,
casual remarks dropped by followers of the Hunt, questions asked him by
an inquisitive boy-naturalist--he slowly remembered them all; and then
the revealing light dawned on his mind, that no animal but a badger
could with ease have broken the limbs of a fox-cub, and cracked the
skull as though it were a hazel-nut. Filled with a sense of
self-importance, befitting the bearer of a momentous message, the
huntsman rode away in the breathless summer twilight to the country
house where the Master lived, and presently was shown into the gun-room
to wait till dinner was over.

The Master prided himself on his love of every kind of sport; and before
the huntsman had finished a long, rambling story of the woodland tragedy
he had formed his plans for the punishment of the offender and was
wri