The dogs were soon underneath, and he could see them leaping upward with snapping white teeth which gleamed unpleasantly through the darkness. But their furious barking was promptly answered. Hugh John could hear a heavy tread approaching among the dense foliage of the trees. A dark form suddenly appeared in the glade and poised something at its shoulder.--Flash! There came a deafening report, the thresh of leaden drops, a howl of pain from the dogs, and both of them took their way back towards the town with not a few bird shot in their flanks. Hugh John's heart stood still as the dark figure advanced. He feared it might prove to be his father. Instead it was Tom Cannon, and the brave scout on the tree heaved a sigh of relief. "Who's up there?" cried the under-keeper gruffly; "come down this moment and show yourself, you dirty poacher, or by Heaven I'll shoot you sitting!" "All right, Tom, I'm coming as fast as I can," said Hugh John, beginning to clamber down. "Heavens and earth, Master Hugh--what be you doing here? Whatever will master say?" "He won't say anything, for he won't know, Tom Cannon." said Hugh John confidently. "Oh yes, he will," said the keeper. "I won't have you bringing a pack of dogs into my covers at twelve of the clock--blow me if I will!" "Well, you won't tell my father, anyway!" said Hugh John calmly, dusting himself as well as he could. "And why not?" asked the keeper indignantly. "'Cause if you do, I'll tell where I saw you kissing Jane Housemaid an hour ago!" Now this was at once a guess and an exaggeration. Hugh John had not seen all this, but he felt rather than knew that the permitted arm about Jane Housemaid's waist could have no other culmination. Also he had a vague sense that this was the most irritating thing he could say in the circumstances. At any rate Tom Cannon fairly gasped with astonishment. A double-jointed word slipped between his teeth, which sounded like "Hang that boy!" At last his seething thoughts found utterance. "You young imp of Satan--it ain't true, anyway." "All right, you can tell my father that!" said Hugh John coolly, feeling the strength of his position. Tom Cannon was not much frightened for himself, but he did not wish to get Jane Housemaid into any trouble, for, as he well knew, that young woman had omitted to ask for leave of absence. So he only said, "All right, it's none of my business if you wander over every acre, and break your neck off every tree on the blame estate. But you'd better be getting home before master comes out and catches you himself! Then you'd eat strap, my lad!" So having remade the peace, Tom escorted Hugh John back to the dog kennel with great good nature, and even gave him a leg up to the roof above the palace of Caesar.