Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1889-07-07
my son. 1t would be the death Of his mo-


are a good and worthy tenant of his lord
ehip's 10 give information against these
people who rob him. Now, tell me when
and where will Skokan be going for the
fSh?n
Your Honor, tomorrow at midnight we
arc going down 60 the big mere" replied
the poacher in trembling voice.
He felt as il at that moment his heart
was being crushed in vice.
Good. The forester will attend to II.
II Skokan is caught they will let you go.
And" he added, They will know Skokan
by his limp Then he changed his threat
ening tone TO pleasant one and set the
poachcr at his ease. saying: We VIII get
vour son put down on the list rs short
sighted. and hewill be clear of the conscrp-
tion for ever"
Zinka thanked him for his kindness. lie
had still to explain which way the poacherS
would approach the mere. After that the
Bailiff let him 60.
On his way home Zinka was very I'M
happy about having betrayed his mate, but
he did his best 20 comfort himself with the
assurance that what he had done was his
duty 10 his son. But not word did he say
about what had passed neither TO his son
nor 10 his wife And now he was on his
way 20 the mere with his mates, with
Skokan. whom a warning against HIM had
reached. but who nevertheless, belieyingin
his previous fidelity. had given the warn,
ing no credence. His other mates trusted
him. toO--NOvak and Jarosh. Linka was
sure Of il, and IL panied him the more that
he had betrayed them.
They were making their way now through
the thickcts downward from the higher
ground. A few hundred steps and they
were on the edge Of the wood. A narrow
ribbon of meadow lay before them, and be-
a 4 4 8 b ba nd
the black surface of the wide mere; black,
because the SKY was strewn with thick,
dark clouds, through which the rays OF the
moon, that had Just risen, ghmmered only
now and then for a moment. Two OF the
poachers uudid tho bundle of rods which
thev had brought, bound them in pairs, IN
the form of a cross, and fastened upon
their ends strong nets which they took out
of their baOs The nets thus constructed
thew fastened TO the ends Of the two poles.
A few words spoken softly, and then they
silently took different ways TO the dlI-
ferent parts Of the mere.
The mere, living in hollow. was in the
form of an acute-angled triangle, whose
sharpest angle pointed TO the west. The
dam at tho other end lay toward the east.
The poachcrs came out of the wood d.
rectly against the apex. OF the triangle.
Sk0kan hmpcd along the northern side.
and with him JarOsh with tho net. On the
southern side were Zinka and NOyak.
They all looked for the places where the
openings in the bushes offered path into
the water.
Three Of the poachcrs had no suspicion
nj that moment that IA the thick, leafy
branches Of the aldcrs, that stood dark
around the borders OF The pool, ana III the
shadows Of tine tangled willows were
hidden the Counts gamekecpers and
sorcly the upbraidings of ms conscience
tormeuted him. For a moment he
thought that he might take his
mates away from the danger, but
then he remembered with a shUddcr the
fourteen years military service and the lost
arms and legs. When be reached the pond
the chill Of the water was comforting to
his fevcred blood. Only fifteen steps from
the rushes the water was clear, where the
carp come to feed in the night. There the
poachcrs let down their nets, IN which,
when they were after "a short time lifted
from the water. there were always several
large fish.
Zinka's hand trembled rs NE lifted the
slippery carp ont Of the net and put them
into his bag. Every instant he expected
that the gamekeepcrs and WoOdmcn hiding
themselves among the alders would present
themselves before his eyes. NOyak's face
fish. Skokan and JarOsh were fortunate,
too. On both sides Of the water the carp
were travelling rapidly out of the mere OF
their lord and master, the Count, INTO the
bags of the poachers.
In the valley round the mere not sound
Of living thing was audible; only the
reeds. bent by the wind, rustled together,
as did the dark leaves of the alders, and
the tangled branches of the willows bend
Z
distance the ceaseless whispering of the
pine forest was audible. The darkness
was profound. But the quick eyes "a the
poachers, accustomed to the gloom, and
practiced TO recognize objects III the dark
ness. cautiously stole around, even at
the busiest moments of their labor,
spying keenly, and seconded by sharp
anv danger. Suddenly the boot of an owl
sounded through the silence of the night.
IL hOated over TO Zinka and NOvak from
the North. Both of them instantly, as if
they had been struck by a shot from an
invisible weapon, dropped their hsh,
stopped down to their necks in the
water, and hid themselves against the
high reeds. A short time and again
the boot was repeated. Noyak, crouched
against the reeds, softly and silently
drew the net TO himself, cut of the
net from the rods with knife, and twisted
il around his neck. Then he softly let the
rods and the pole 90 in the water. lie
knew that the boot of the owl had really
came from SkOkan, who in dim simmer
of the moons rays peeping for moment
through the torn clouds had seen with his
quick eye a gun-barrel glisten among the
branches of the alders. In an instant he
had guessed that the mere was surrounded
and had given the owls hoOt as warning
sign TO his companions TO take flight.
CrOuched against the high reeds the
poachers could not now see what was be-
Ing done around the mere. They could
not see the gamekeepers creeping out
of the thick bushes on both sides near
the apex of the mere, nor how they came
along the banks in order TO cut of the re-
treat to the woods.
The forester and the gamekeepers, in the
hands of one of whom the long gun had
glistened, waited, listening breathlessly TO
hear the water splash somewhere IN the
pool. They had recognized the OWLS hoot
as an imitation. and knew that that was "A
sign for fight among the pOachers, whom
they had seen arrive and wade into the
pool. The one of them who recognized the
limping Skokan had permission from the
forester to shoot at him. At the others they
were not to shoot under any circumstances.
The pOachers. guessing that the game
keepers would wait for them near the up
per part of the pool, crOuchlng down to
their necks in the water, wadcd cautiously
along by the reeds in an eastward direction,
downward toward the dam, in hope Of
getting out of the mere and taking flight TO
the wood.
Saving their bags filed with carp was
not to be thought of. They let them go
in the water and the carp struggled and
wriggled in the bags until they succeeded
at last in getting out the same way they
went in.
Softly and cautiously the poachers crept
along through the water, so as not to dis
turb it, lest they should be betrayed by the
splashing. Skokan and Jarosh, having
waded first of all about a thousand steps
by the side Of the PUSHES, crept out after
ward into the deep. There, hidden by
the darkness and by the mist that arose
straight forward in the dark, where
it was impossible for any human eye
TO descry them from the bank, down.
ward toward the dam. When they
reached it they crept in among the al
ders, pushed their way through them TO
the top of the dam, crossed it on all -fours,
and slipped down behind into the thicket,
where they were safe. They were not to-