better, although he followed it for a
short distance. One can often hide best in the open and it was prudent
to avoid the obvious line of search. Creeping out of the hollow, he
made for a clump of rushes and felt satisfied when he lay down behind
it. His waterproof and cap were gray, and his pursuers would have to
search all the field before they found him, unless they were lucky.

After a few minutes, he saw them, but while one plunged into the
hollow, the other sat on top of the wall. This seemed to be the fellow
he had struck, and Foster was relieved to see he was not badly hurt.
The man, however, occupied a commanding position, because Foster's
chance of remaining unseen depended largely on the searcher's height
above the ground. He knew from experience gained in hunting that a
very small object will hide a man so long as the line of sight he must
avoid is nearly horizontal, but the fellow on the wall could see over
the rushes. In consequence, immobility was his only resource, and he
very cautiously turned his head enough to enable him to see.

The gamekeeper who had entered the hollow presently came back into the
field and began to walk methodically up and down, and Foster regretted
his rashness in helping with the net. The poachers had vanished, but
the others seemed to know there was somebody about, and since they were
gamekeepers would be hard to deceive. His cover was not good, and
although he might have changed his place when the fellow in the field
was farthest away, he feared that a movement would betray him to the
other on the wall.

In the meantime, the chill of the wet soil crept through his mackintosh
and his hands got numbed. He thrust them into the mossy grass for fear
they should show in the moonlight, and buried his face in the rushes,
which prickled his skin. He could, with some trouble, see through the
clump and anxiously watched the fellow who came steadily nearer. Now
and then he turned aside to examine a whinn bush, and Foster saw that
he had acted wisely when he dropped behind the rushes. Had he chosen a
prominent object for cover, he would have been caught.

At length, the searcher crossed the field on a line that would bring
him close to where Foster lay, and the latter let his face sink lower
and tried to check his breathing. He durst not look about, but heard
the man's heavy boots splash in the boggy grass, until the fellow
suddenly stopped. Foster thought he had seen him,