For Name and Fame | Page 2

barn-door chickens would have done as well. There are
marks of blood in two or three places, so they have evidently been
killed for food. The house was locked up last night, all right; for you
see they got in by breaking in a panel of the door.
"Robson, run down to the village, at once, and tell the policeman to
come up here; and ask if any gypsies, or tramps, have been seen in the
neighborhood."
The village lay at the gate of Captain Ripon's park, and the gardener
soon returned with the policeman.
"I've heard say there are some gypsies camped on Netherwood
Common, four miles away," that functionary said, in answer to Captain
Ripon.
"Put the gray mare in the dog cart, Sam. We will drive over at once.
They will hardly expect us so soon. We will pick up another policeman,
at Netherwood. They may show fight, if we are not in strength."
Five minutes later, Captain Ripon was traveling along the road at the
rate of twelve miles an hour; with Sam by his side, and the policeman
sitting behind. At Netherwood they took up another policeman and, a
few minutes later, drove up to the gypsy encampment.

There was a slight stir when they were seen approaching; and then the
gypsies went on with their usual work, the women weaving baskets
from osiers, the men cutting up gorse into skewers. There were four
low tents, and a wagon stood near; a bony horse grazing on the
common.
"Now," Captain Ripon said, "I am a magistrate, and I daresay you
know what I have come for. My fowl house has been broken open, and
some valuable fowls stolen.
"Now, policeman, look about, and see if you can find any traces of
them."
The gypsies rose to their feet, with angry gestures.
"Why do you come to us?" one of the men said. "When a fowl is stolen
you always suspect us, as if there were no other thieves in the world."
"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