a considerable amount of paint and patchwork across his nose, he and the badger having evidently been dovetailed. We carried Trap, and started back to have the mare put in, but en route Blarney and Turk disappeared; we heard them with another badger close to the earth we had stopped. We hurried up and found it was a young one, about half-grown, which we promptly rescued. This was probably the one Turk and Trap took the line of when the dogs divided, just before Blarney got hold of the big one. Having got the mare in, dogs made comfortable, badgers safely stowed away, and bade good old Tom 'Good-night" and "Au revoir," we started homeward, well content.

I may mention that six months after capture the big badger effected his escape from durance vile, but the really curious incident was that the young badger became

F

very tame, and on most amicable terms with Turk, his captor. Turk never lost his temper with his odd chum, but woe betide a strange badger that crossed his path.

CHAPTER II

TRENCHING FOR BADGERS

THIS plan of taking badgers involves harder manual labour than hunting them by night, but as the actual work is done in daylight and the whole process is apparent, it is certainly much pleasanter and is nearly as exciting, especially towards the finish. It need not be assumed that cruelty is involved in the proceedings, for the badger is so well protected by Nature with means of offence and defence that it is seldom if ever that one is injured, even slightly. The terriers certainly do get touched up a bit occasionally, but not more, if as much, than in an ordinary "scrap"-for friendship's sake

with one of their own kith and kin; and one has only to notice their demonstrations of pleasure when in the proximity of a badger's earth to feel assured that they enjoy the excitement equally as much as a healthy young fellow does a keenly contested game of football.

As I mentioned in my previous chapter, plucky, reliable terriers are a sine qua non, and essential to success in trenching for badgers, for they have to enter the earth and follow the run or runs until they find, and when they find must communicate the fact by "giving tongue." Many people imagine that the terrier, the moment he the badger, enters into gets up to sanguinary and deadly conflict with it, but this is an utterly erroneous idea; a terrier that would "tackle" in such a manner would not be "worth his salt" for trenching work. The duties of the terrier are-first, by

into a

incessant barking to guide the trenchers to the position occupied by the quarry; and second, to rivet the badger's attention by barking and snapping at it to prevent it from digging and burying itself. As a matter of fact, a terrior is wanted and intended to harass its enemy, not to seize and hang on like a bull-dog. It frequently happens that a large, fierce badger will make repeated rushes at the dog to try and "drive" him. There is nothing tests a terrier's grit and pluck so much as this, for if the terrier should be soft and not thoroughly game, these tactics of the enemy simply demoralise him, and he "throws up the sponge" and comes out. On the other hand, a plucky and reliable dog will slowly retire before the rush, disputing every inch, and when the badger returns to his old quarters, will follow and resume his former attacking