The 'navigator' will stand anything,
and being narrow is also more handy. All these implements Little John
has prepared by the dim light of a horn lantern in the shed at the back
of his cottage. A mug of ale while we get our guns greatly cheers him,
and unlooses his tongue.
All the way to Redcote he impresses on us the absolute necessity of
silence while ferreting, and congratulates us on having a nearly still
day. He is a little doubtful about Orion's spaniel and whether it will
keep quiet or not.
When we reach the double-mound, his talk entirely ceases: he is as
silent and as rugged as a pollard oak. By the top of the mound the sack
of nets is thrown down on the sward and opened. As there are more holes
on the other side of the hedge Orion goes over with Little John, and I
proceed to set up the nets on mine.
I found some difficulty in getting at the bank, the bushes being so
thick, and had to use the billhook and chop a way in: I heard Little
John growling about this in a whisper to Orion. Very often before going
with the ferrets, people send a man or two a few hours previously to
chop and clear the bushes. The effect is that the rabbits will not bolt
freely. They hear the men chopping, and the vibration of the earth as
they clumsily climb over the banks, and will not come out till
absolutely forced. If it is done at all, it should be done a week
beforehand.
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