The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1891-08-08

SkoRan ana MS companions were pliluS up
a nice little heap of forins. The highest
ambition Of the Counts gamekeepers was
to catch Skokan in the act. But all their
ingenuity had been hitherto in vain. He
always got away.
The poachers rose and groped through
the dark to the edge of the stream. They
knew the place we'll Three of them had
already jumped the brook. Only Zinka
remained Then he jumped too, but,
alighting on his right foot, gave a sudden
shrek of pain. The same instant he
checked himself and was silent.
whats happened, Zinka ?" asked Sko-
kan quickly.
81 jumped on the stump of tree, and
have hurt my foot.
In fact, he had jumped barefooted on
the stump of a young pine, which had
been sawn half through and broken off.
A sharp splinter stood up like finger,
and had pierced the sole of his foot.
at pains me fearfully," moaned Zinka.
One of the poachers tore off strip
about four inches wide from the edge of
his bag and gave it to Zinka, who bound
his wound with it, and, having picked up
his rods, limped after his mates.
"My wound will get washed in the
water, and after few days it will be quite
well, he comforted himself, bearing the
keen pain with the quiet philosophy of
rough nature, not little assisted by the
fact that he had something heavier than
the pain weighing upon his mind. Already
he had set down his wound as judgment
come upon him for the treachery of which
he had been guilty against his mates; for
he was leading his friends with whom he
had poached ever since he was a lad, and
more particularly his old, faithful, true
mate Skokan, into trap which the Counts
gamekeepers had set.
Only the day before the Counts bailiff
had sent for him to come to the office, and
there had said to him dryly and shortly :
''Zinka, all the world knows that you poach
with Skokan. Now, if you will not tell us
when and where Skokan goes for the fish,
so that we can take him in the act, under
stand this-the time is coming round for
the conscription. Your only son will have
to stand, and we will have him enlisted,
without any chance of his getting off. You
will not see him, Zinka, for fourteen years
perhaps never again"
The bailiff' threat struck Zinka dumb.
'Now, if you will tell us, continued the
Bailiff, 'when and where that old rogue
goes poaching, and we catch him, [ will get
your son off from the conscription forever" "
Zinka and his wife had no child except
Tomash. Dearly they loved him, and often
they talked to each other how they would
give him cottage and marry him, and
reckoned up whether they had put by
money enough. Already they had their
eyes on several peasants smart young
daughters who would do for him. But the
conscription Fourteen years in the army!
Zinka knew very well that he had been
for some time in evil odor with the Bailiff
for his poaching, and that it was out of
revenge that the Bailiff would get Tomash
enlisted Well, he could save Tomash.
But he must betray his old and faithful
mate To steal carp out of the Counts
mere-in that Zinka saw no harm at all.
But to betray his mate who helped him to
steal the carp-that seemed to Zinka the
vilest baseness and degradation.
The conflict in the poachers soul was
fierce. Against his friendship for Skokau
his instincts of father battled hard, telling
him that his first duty was to his own flesh
and blood But for all that he hesitated.
The Bailiff saw it, and began to describe to
him the hardships and miseries of the four
teen years military service. "For the
smallest neglect, said the Bailiff, "a soldier
has to run the gauntlet, to be wounded
with swords in the sides and the back until
his steps are printed in blood" And of
course the soldier might come home a
cripple, with only one foot, or without a
hand.
"Your honor" broke in the voice of
poor, terrified Zinka, "the Lords will must
be done. This is mean, shameful deed.
l know it. But I'll do this to save my son.
1t would be the death of his mother if they
took him away"
The Bailiff smiled quietly, patted the
poacher on the shoulder, and said "You
are good and worthy tenant of his lord
ships to give information against these
people who rob him. Now, tell me when
and where will Skokan be going for the
fish ?"
''Your honor, tomorrow at midnight we
are going down to the big mere, replied
the poacher in trembling voice.
He felt as if at that moment his heart
was being crushed in vice.
"Good. The forester will attend to it.
If Skokan is caught they will let you Co.
And he added, "they will know Skokan
by his limp" Then he changed his threat
ening tone to pleasant one, and set the
poacher at his ease, saying; ave will get
your son put down on the list as short
sighted, and he will be clear of the con-
scription for ever"
Zinka thanked him for his kindness. He
had still to explain which way the poachers
would approach the mere. After that the
Bailiff let him go.
On his way home Zinka was very un-
happy about having betrayed his mate, but
he did his best to comfort himself with the
assurance that what he had done was his
duty to his son. But not a word did he
say about what had passed, neither to his
son nor to his wife. And now he was on
his way to the mere with his mates, with
Skokan, whom warning against him had
reached, but who nevertheless, believing in
his previous fidelity, had given the warn
ing no credence His other mates trusted
him, too-Novak and Jarosh Zinka was
sure of it, and it panied him the more that
he had betrayed them.
They were making their way now through
the thiekets 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-
yond it, surrounded with rushes and reeds,
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, glimmered only
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