So the matter
dropped, and all was firm friends again till the blow fell.
Poaching went on, and Joseph noted that Teddy was apt to be from home a
bit and would often go away for a day or two. And the new head-keeper, who
was sleepless on the job, traced where a car had come across one of the
drives in Oakshott's by night, for the wheels had scored the grass; and
where the thing had stood was a dead bird the blackguards had overlooked.
The pheasant had been shot roosting and an air-gun was the weapon, for
they found the slug in it.
And the next thing was that just afore the end of the season, Joseph Ford
set out to lend a hand with the job on his own, unknown to anybody but the
head-keeper. He worked out of his business hours and off the regular
policeman's beats, and the keeper, who now felt pretty sure one of his own
under-men was in it, and he'd got treachery to deal with, put Joseph up to
a secret plan. Oakshott's is a huge place and the six keepers kept there
couldn't be everywhere; but an unknown seventh man might steal a march on
the rogues and lie hid when 'twas given out the others were somewhere
else. And that was done by Joseph, with a very startling result.
The season had near reached an end, when on a quiet moonlight night in
January, Joseph kept his third secret watch at the edge of the North Wood.
He'd got there at dusk, being off duty at the time, and there he bided;
and then, just after moonrise, he saw a dog slip past him within ten
yards, and he knew the dog very well, and his heart sank.
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