sed their path. "There must be rabbits about here."

"Yes. Do you know what they call whittricks down south?"

"No."

"Stoats."

"How stupid!" said Tom after a vain chase after the snaky-looking little
creature. "They must be very silly people down south. Do they call
them stoats in London?"

"Haven't got any in London--only rats."

The engineer greeted the lads warmly and went up to the temporary hut he
occupied to fetch his gun, when, in the corner of the room Dick saw
something which made him glance at Tom.

"Yes," said the engineer, who saw the glance; "we're going to show your
fen-men, Master Dick, that we do not mean to be trifled with. I've got
muskets; and as the law does not help us, we shall help ourselves. So
if anyone intends to come shooting us, blowing up our works, or setting
fire to our huts, he had better look out for bullets."

"But you wouldn't shoot anyone, Mr Marston?" said Tom.

"Indeed but we would, or any two, sir. It's a case of self-defence.
There, Dick, don't look at me as if I were a bloodthirsty savage. I
have got all these muskets down and shown my men how to use them, and I
am letting it be known that we are prepared."

"Seems rather horrible," said Dick.

"More horrible for your father to be shot, Dick, and for people to be
burned in their beds, eh!"

"Ever so much," cried Tom. "You shoot 'em all, Mr Marston."

"Precaution is better than cure, Tom," said the engineer smiling. "Now
that we are prepared, you will see that we shall not be interfered with,
and my arming the men will save bloodshed instead of causing it."

"Think so, sir?"

"I am sure of it, my lad. Besides, if I had not done something, my men
would not have stayed. Even Bargle said it was getting too warm. He
said he was not afraid, but he would not stay. So here we are ready for
the worst: self-defence, my lads. And now let's go and get a few ducks
for dinner. They are pretty plentiful, and my men like them as well as
I."

The result was a long walk round the edge of the fen and the bringing
back of a fairly miscellaneous bag of wild-fowl, the engineer having
become a skilful gunner during his stay in the wild coast land.

Mr Marston was right; the preparations made by him and all the farmers
round who had an interest in the draining of the fen had the effect of
putting a stop to the outrages. The work went on as the weeks glided
by, and spring passed, and summer came to beautify the wil