Wot they liked a’most as well as the sixpences was the idea o’ getting the better o’ Bob Pretty.  As I said afore, he was a poacher, and that artful that up to that time nobody ’ad ever got the better of ’im.

They made so much fun of ’im the next night that Bob turned sulky and went off ’ome, and for two or three nights he ’ardly showed his face; and the next shoot they ’ad he went off to Wickham and nobody saw ’im all day.

That very day Henery Walker was shot.  Several gentlemen fired at a rabbit that was started, and the next thing they knew Henery Walker was lying on the ground calling out that ’is leg ’ad been shot off.

He made more fuss than Bill Chambers a’most, ’specially when they dropped ’im off a hurdle carrying him ’ome, and the things he said to Dr. Green for rubbing his ’ands as he came into the bedroom was disgraceful.

The fust Bob Pretty ’eard of it was up at the Cauliflower at eight o’clock that evening, and he set down ’is beer and set off to see Henery as fast as ’is legs could carry ’im.  Henery was asleep when ’e got there, and, do all he could, Bob Pretty couldn’t wake ’im till he sat down gentle on ’is bad leg.

[Illustration:  “The fust Bob Pretty ’eard of it was up at the Cauliflower at eight o’clock that evening.”]

“It’s on’y me, old pal,” he ses, smiling at ’im as Henery woke up and shouted at ’im to get up.

Henery Walker was going to say something bad, but ’e thought better of it, and he lay there arf busting with rage, and watching Bob out of the corner of one eye.

“I quite forgot you was on my club till Smith reminded me of it,” ses Bob.  “Don’t you take a farthing less than ten pounds, Henery.”

Henery Walker shut his eyes again.  “I forgot to tell you I made up my mind this morning not to belong to your club any more, Bob,” he ses.

“Why didn’t you come and tell me, Henery, instead of leaving it till it was too late?” ses Bob, shaking his ’ead at ’im.

“I shall want all that money,” ses Henery in a weak voice.  “I might ’ave to have a wooden leg, Bob.”

“Don’t meet troubles arf way, Henery,” ses Bob, in a kind voice.  “I’ve no doubt Mr. Sutton’ll throw in a wooden leg if you want it, and look here, if he does, I won’t trouble you for my arf of it.”

He said good-night to Henery and went off, and when Mrs. Walker went up to see ’ow Henery was getting on he was carrying on that alarming that she couldn’t do nothing with ’im.

He was laid up for over a week, though it’s my opinion he wasn’t much hurt, and the trouble was that nobody knew which gentleman ’ad shot ’im.  Mr. Sutton talked it over with them, and at last, arter a good deal o’ trouble, and Henery pulling up ’is trousers and showing them ’is leg till they was fair sick of the sight of it, they paid ’im ten pounds, the same as they ’ad Bill.