The New Forest Spy

riumph, while he gazed down at the distorted countenance beneath him, wondering who the lad was and why there was a something un-English in his accent and the turn of his words, though they sounded native all the same.

"Yes, I give up," panted the boy; "and you can be proud of having mastered a poor starving wretch who never did you any harm."

"No, because I stopped you," cried Waller. "Who are you, and where did you steal that pistol?"

"It was my own," said the other proudly.

"But what were you doing with that pistol here?--poaching, I suppose? Lucky for you my fine fellow, that I stopped you. Do you know what would have happened to you if you had killed one of the deer? Ha, ha, ha! Killed one of the deer! Why, you could not have hit a haystack with that thing."

"Deer!" cried the lad. "I did not want to kill the deer."

"Don't believe you!" cried Waller.

The lad's face flushed, and an indignant flash darted from his eyes.

"How dare you doubt my word of h