here," he said; "you bear witness that this fire is quite out."

"Oh, yes; it's out," said Sam.

"And that Pete Warboys showed us a box of matches."

"Yes, but what of that?"

"Why this," said Tom; "if the fire breaks out again, it will be because
this fellow has set it alight."

Pete's features contracted, and without another word he slouched away
into the wood and disappeared, followed by his dog.

"I say, you hit him there, Tom," said Sam, with a laugh. "Think he
would have done it?"

"I'm afraid so."

"Well, a bit of a bonfire wouldn't have done much harm."

"What!" cried Tom, looking at his cousin aghast. "Why, hundreds of
acres of fir-trees might have been burnt. Uncle said there was a small
patch burned one year, and there is so much turpentine in the trees,
that they roared away like a furnace, and if they had not stood alone,
the mischief would have been terrible."

"Then you think that chap had set the furze alight before we came."

"No, I don't," cried Tom sharply, "for I saw you throw a burning
wax-match amongst them, only I was so stupid I never thought of going to
tread upon it."

"Yes, you always were precious chuckle-headed," cried Sam, with a laugh.
"But I don't believe it was my match. If it had gone on burning, and
there had been a row, I should have laid the blame on him."

Tom gave him a quick look and said nothing, but thought a good deal.

Sam noticed the look, and naturally divined his cousin's thoughts.

"Oh," he said, "if you want to get on in the world, it's of no use to
give yourself away. I say, who is that joskin?"

"Pete Warboys, half gipsy sort of fellow. I've seen him poaching. Look
here, this is a wire to catch hares or rabbits with."

Tom took out the wire noose, and held it out to his cousin.

"How do you know? that wouldn't catch a hare."

"It would. The gardener showed me once with a bit of string. Look
here; they drive a peg into the ground if there isn't a furze stump
handy, tie the string to it, and open the wire, so as to make a ring,
and set it in a hare's run."

"What do you mean--its hole in the ground?"

"Hares don't make holes in ground, but run through the same openings in
hedges or amongst the furze and heath. You can see where they have
beaten the grass and stuff down. Then the poachers put the wire ring
upright, the hares run through, and drag the noose tight, and the more
they struggle, the faster they are."

"Oh, that's it, is it