The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1891-08-08
VOL. XXVI.-NO. 40.


braidings of his conscience tormented him.
For a moment he thought that he might
take his mates away from the danger, but
then he remembered with a shudder the
fourteen years military service and the lost
arms and legs. When he reached the pond
the chill of the water was comforting to
his fevered blood. Only fifteen steps from
the rushes the water was clear, where the
carp came to feed in the night. There the
poachers let down their nets, in which,
when they were after short time lifted
from the water, there were always several
large fish.
Zinka's hand trembled as he lifted the
slippery carp out of the net and put theEl
into his bag Every instant he expected
that the gamekeepers and woodmen hiding
themselves among the alders would present
themselves before his eyes. Novak's face
frightened with pleasure at the size of the
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 Tv;no tbipc was audible. only the reeds.
bont by the wind rustled tooetber as did
H. dorl- Iooros of tbo oIJers and tho
tanoIeJ branches of the willows bendino
down over tbo rnsbes and ot n LITTLE dist.
ance the ceaseless whispering of the pine
forest was audible. The darkness was
profound. But the quick eyes of the
poocbers accustomed to the gloom and
nracticed to recognize objects in the dark
ness. cautiously stole around, even at the
busiest moments of their labor. spyine
keenly. and seconded by sharp hearing. to
observe the approach of any danger. Sud
denly the hoot of an owl sounded through
the silence of the night. It foated over
to Zinka and Novak from the north. Both
of them instantly, as if they had been
struck by shot from an invisible weapon,
dropped their fish, stopped down to their
necks in the water. and hid themselves
against the high reeds. A short time and
again the hoot was repeated. Novak,
crouched against the reeds, softly and
silently drew the net to himself, cut off the
net from the rods with knife. and twisted
it around his neck. Then he softly let the
rods and the pole 90 in the water. He
knew that the hoot of the owl had really
come 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 fight.
Crouched against the high reeds the
poachers could not now see what was being
done around the mere. They could moi
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 off the retreat to the
woods.
The forester and the gamekeepers. in the
hands of one of whom the long gun had
glistened, waited. listening breathlessly tc
hear the water splash somewhere in the
nooI They had recognized the owls boot
rs an imitation. and knew that that was q
sign for fight among the poachers, whom
thew had seen arrive and wade into tn,
pool. The one of them who recongnized
the limping Skokan bad permission from
the forester to shoot at him. At the others
they were not to shoot under any circnm.
stances.
The poachers. guessing that the game
keepers would wait for them near the up
per part of the pool. crouching down tc
their necks in the water waded cautiously
along by the reeds in an eastward direc
tion, downward toward the dam. in hone Of
GETTING ont of tbe mere and takino FLIGHT
to the wood.
Saving their bags filled with carp was
not to be thought Of They let them &c
in the water and the carp struggled and
wriggled in the bags until thew 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 thousand steps
bv the side of the rushes. crept ont after.
ward into the deep, There hidden bv
the darkness and by the mist that arose
from the mere. tbey swan silently STRAIGHT
forward in the dark, where it was impossi-
Bile for any human eve to descry them from
the bank, downward toward the dam
When thew reached it thew crept in AMONG
the alders nushed their wav tbrouob tbom
- .bo .or oe tbo do,, oro.,o1 = III
fours. and slinned down behind into the
tb;cket wberr thew were safe Tbav were
not togotbor No;tbor Lnow onn,b;,o. -
tbo ofIor SLol,an I'LL h;a Ian lo :.
had had dronnod hoh;nd IN sw;n,n,;nr r' A. A.
tbat that mopant p tho w;nd fnr on ;natnn. - n1
H. aInJ e., H. -. - ,.,,l' az ~ 0.e'iou
and and tbo [ moon . Cow doxs net S ,ba enn FIJI % ah""a
ont clear oyer .be more and tha I'D Id
woods W 'e "'N'
IN tbo soutborn s;ao or ,bo mono ob,,,.
Lie smo SVI'"in .h i eiUT ~ u S"e me.e' 'oouc