400 Proposals for abolishing [OcT. 



unanswerable arguments in political economy, (for which see Malthus). 

 But I had ocular demonstration that some very fine fish nearly half an 

 inch long, inhabited those waters ; for I saw them hooked, and bottled 

 off for home- con sumption. I was an Izaak Walton in embryo, and 

 declared war against the tittlebats. Clandestinely I procured the best 

 jjart of a ball of thread from my mother's work-box, and luckily found 

 a bent pin admirably adapted for my murderous intentions. These I 

 joined together, affixed a worm to one, and my father's riding-stick to 

 the other, and then sallied out to the enjoyment of my first day's sport. 

 Nibbles I had innumerable, but I was at first too eager, and lost every 

 chance. As I became more disappointed, the fish became more shy. I 

 watched the bait with as much anxiety as an expected heir watches the 

 last symptoms in a rich relation. At last I saw one of the scaly tribe, 

 larger than the rest, swim several times round the bait, and look at it 

 with I'ather a suspicious eye ; after a time his doubts cleared up, or per- 

 haps it had wormed itself into his confidence, for he opened his capacious 

 jaws and swallowed it with as much ease as a whale would a jolly-boat. 

 I was overjoyed with my prize, but had unfortunately forgotten to bring 

 with me any vessel in which to carry him home. I thought of a happy 

 expedient ; that very morning for the first time I wore a handsome new 

 white hat ; without a moment's hesitation I snatched it off my head, 

 scooped out some water with it from the pond, put in my fish, and 

 marched homeward with a very exalted idea of my own cleverness at 

 having discovered a new hat to be useful for more purposes than one. 

 Near home I met my father, who had gone out in search of me. On I 

 went in full confidence of being rewarded with all the halfpence in his 

 coat-pocket for my skill and dexterity. I exultingly told him my 

 history, in confirmation of which there was the water oozing out of my 

 vmfortunate beaver, which had undergone considerable alteration both 

 in colour and shape. As soon as he saw its deplorable condition, — but it 

 will be enough to say, that, as Avas also the case with the fish above 

 mentioned — I caught it. 



I grew up more fond of sport than ever. My father had a consider- 

 able freehold property, with game preserves ; but although he was ex- 

 ceedingly fond of shooting, he gave strict orders to the servants not to 

 allow me on any occasion to handle a gun. I was therefore confined to 

 bows and arrows, and other missiles, which teach " the young idea how 

 to shoot," and occasionally did considerable execution among the tomtits 

 and other sinall-birds. This I soon grew tired of. I panted for higher 

 game. I tried to coax the game-keeper, but without success. 1 at- 

 tempted to bribe the other servants with as little effect. Then I be- 

 thought me of a boy on the estate, who had a gun for the purpose of 

 keeping the rooks off the corn. He was a poor half-starved, tattered 

 rascal — in fact a living scarecrow. He had a sort of den under the cover 

 of a thickset hedge, at one extremity of the field. I got into his good 

 graces by bringing to him something more palatable than his ordinary 

 diet ; things I had stolen from the larder for that purpose; and while he 

 was eating I scaredaway the rooks by shouting at them. Things went on 

 admirably. He taught me how to load a gun and fire it off, and allowed 

 me to handle it. His was an old heavy one, with a touch-hole wherein 

 I could nearly put my little finger. I longed to shoot a hare, but he was 

 only allowed powder, and I knew that without shot I had but small 

 chance of killing one. To supply the defect, I picked up in the gravel- 



