'The dog was took away home to granny by my butty [comrade], but one of
the gentlemen as seed it in the court sent his groom over and got it off
the old woman for five pound. She thought if I hadn't the hound I should
give it up, and she come and paid me out of gaol. It was a wonder as I
didn't break her neck; only her was a good woman, you see, to I. But I
wouldn't have parted with that hound for a quart-full of sovereigns.
Many's a time I've seed his name--they changed his name, of course--in
the papers for winning coursing matches. But we let that gent as bought
him have it warm; we harried his pheasants and killed the most of 'em.
'After that I came home, and took to it regular. It ain't no use unless
you do it regular. If a man goes out into the fields now and then
chance-like he don't get much, and is most sure to be caught--very
likely in the place of somebody else the keepers were waiting for and as
didn't come. I goes to work every day the same as the rest, only I
always take piece-work, which I can come to when I fancy, and stay as
late in the evening as suits me with a good excuse. As I knows
navigating, I do a main bit of draining and water-furrowing, and I gets
good wages all the year round, and never wants for a job. You see, I
knows more than the fellows as have never been at nothing but plough.
'The reason I gets on so well poaching is because I'm always at work out
in the fields, except when I goes with the van.
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