"There are plenty of other thieves, my friend; and we shall not interfere with you, if we find nothing suspicious." "There have been some fowls plucked, here," one of the policemen said. "Here is a little feather--" and he showed one, of only half an inch in length "--and there is another, on that woman's hair. They have cleaned them up nicely enough, but it ain't easy to pick up every feather. I'll be bound we find a fowl, in the pot." Two of the gypsies leaped forward, stick in hand; but the oldest man present said a word or two to them, in their own dialect. "You may look in the pot," he said, turning to Captain Ripon, "and maybe you will find a fowl there, with other things. We bought 'em at the market at Hunston, yesterday." The policeman lifted the lid off the great pot, which was hanging over the fire, and stirred up the contents with a stick. "There's rabbits here--two or three of them, I should say--and a fowl, perhaps two, but they are cut up." "I cannot swear to that," Captain Ripon said, examining the portions of fowl, "though the plumpness of the breasts, and the size, show that they are not ordinary fowls." He looked round again at the tents. "But I can pretty well swear to this," he said, as he stooped and picked up a feather which lay, half concealed, between the edge of one of the tents and the grass. "This is a breast feather of a Spangled Dorking. These are not birds which would be sold for eating in Hunston market, and it will be for these men to show where they got it from." A smothered oath broke from one or two of the men. The elder signed to them to be quiet. "That's not proof," he said, insolently. "You can't convict five men, because the feather of a fowl which you cannot swear to is found in their camp." "No," Captain Ripon said, quietly. "I do not want to convict anyone but the thief; but the proof is sufficient for taking you in custody, and we shall find out which was the guilty man, afterwards. "Now, lads, it will be worse for you, if you make trouble. "Constables, take them up to Mr. Bailey. He lives half a mile away. Fortunately, we have means of proving which is the fellow concerned. "Now, Sam, you and I will go up with the Netherwood constable to Mr. Bailey. "And do you," he said, to the other policeman, "keep a sharp watch over these women. You say you can find nothing in the tents; but it is likely the other fowls are hid, not far off, and I will put all the boys of the village to search, when I come back." The gypsies, with sullen faces, accompanied Captain Ripon and the policeman to the magistrate's. "Is that feather the only proof you have, Ripon?" Mr. Bailey asked, when he had given his evidence. "I do not think that it will be enough to convict, if unsupported; besides, you cannot bring it home to any one of them. But it is sufficient for me to have them locked up for twenty-four hours and, in the meantime, you may find the other fowls."