he coppice. Once back at the wood-stack they were to
separate, so before they left the coppice Marriner put down his now
heavy sack, and Saurin handed him the air-gun, which he stowed away in
his capacious pocket. Then they went on, and just as they were on the
edge of the wood came suddenly upon a man.

"Hulloa! young gentleman," exclaimed he to Saurin, who was leading,
"what are you up to? What has the other got in that sack?"

Marriner slipped behind the trees.

"I have got _you_, at any rate," said the man, seizing Saurin by the
collar.

The latter would not speak lest his voice should be recognised
afterwards, but he struggled all he knew. The man soon overpowered him;
but Marriner came to the rescue. Throwing down the sack of pheasants,
he had taken from his pocket an implement of whalebone with a heavy knob
of lead at the end, and coming behind the man, both whose hands were
holding on to Saurin, he struck him with it on the head as hard as he
could. The keeper's grasp relaxed, he fell heavily to the ground, and
Saurin was free. The man lay on his back with his head on the path, and
the moonbeams fell on his face.

"Simon Bradley," muttered Marriner. "To be sure he lives this way, and
was going home after the alarm on t'other side."

Saurin was seized with a violent shivering from head to foot.

"He isn't, I mean to say you have not--eh?" he said.

"Dunno, and don't much care, curse him!" replied Marriner. "It would be
laid to t'other chaps if he is."

"But we ought to do something; get him some help," urged Saurin, who had
not become sufficiently hardened to like such devil's work as this. "If
he is living he will be frozen to death lying out such a night as this."

"Oh, he will be all right!" said Marriner. "He's only stunned a bit.
He will come to in ten minutes and get up and walk home."

"But can't we leave word at his house, and then be off?"

"That would be a fool's trick, that would. Why, it would bring
suspicion on us, and if he is a gone coon--it's impossible, you know,
almost--but _if_ he is, we should get scragged for it. Come, I didn't
think you was so chicken-hearted, or I wouldn't have brought you out.
Let's get away home at once while we can, and don't go a putting your
neck in a halter for nowt."

Fear overcame compunction, and Saurin turned and fled. How he got home
he did not know, but he seemed to be at the back-door of the yard
immediately almost. Then he steadie