As he entered the grass road which ran through the middle of the common he overtook a man who was walking slowly along, looking on all sides of him, and stopping every few steps to listen. [Sidenote: No. 17.] [Illustration: PEACE AT THE ARGYLL ROOMS.] Alf knew pretty well every inhabitant of the locality by sight, but he never remembered to have seen the individual he now came across for the first time. “Who can he be, and what’s his game?” he murmured; “he’s a queer-looking sort of customer. I’ll just watch and see what he’s up to.” The man had a short pipe in his mouth――he was tall, but stooped slightly, which took somewhat off his height. His clothes were travel-stained and dilapidated, and the beard on his chin seemed to be of some days’ growth. For the rest, his skin was of a deep brown, partly attributable to dirt and partly to his natural complexion, which was what might be termed swarthy. As to his age it would have puzzled any one to tell except those who had been acquainted with him for years――he might be seven and thirty, or he might be sixty. On his back he carried a huge bundle, which was as large and heavy as a pedlar’s pack, but of a very different shape. Alf’s curiosity was aroused――he had never seen any one of a similar character in the neighbourhood. He felt instinctively that the brown-faced man with the bundle was a brother sportsman, but he could not quite comprehend the reason for his stopping every now and then to listen, and then walking on in such a careless desultory manner. “He’s a bit of an original in his way, a sort of curiosity,” murmured the boy. “He’s up to something and I mean to know what it is before long.” The mysterious sportsman had by this time reached the small “clearing” (to use an American phrase) where the cottagers had been permitted to cut furze for their firing. The stranger had all this time been quite unaware of the presence of the farmer’s boy. He threw down his bundle and raised himself to his full height; he then stretched forth his arms, which were evidently stiff and cramped from the constrained position they had been in during his journey. This done he reflected for a brief space of time, after which he stooped down and began to untie his bundle and spread out its contents. “He’s a rum un. Let’s see what his next move is,” cried Alf, who deemed it expedient to keep as quiet as possible. He, therefore, stretched himself full length on the grass. When the boy saw the brown-faced man bring forth a large net his eyes began to shine, and lying on his stomach, with his face between his two hands, he watched the movements of the stranger with the greatest possible interest. He saw the net, which was about twelve yards square, spread flat upon the ground, and then secured by four small pins (called _stars_), which left, however, a considerable space of net on either side unoccupied.