1 86 MEN OF MY TIME 



than at the previous one. Here was a man with only 

 two greyhounds, brother puppies, and both able to beat 

 his best dogs easily ! It was a most extraordinary thing, 

 and naturally created in Mr. Etwall a most ardent desire 

 to become the possessor of the treasures. However, he 

 proceeded cautiously in his purpose ; and, after chatting 

 matters over, he asked quietly : 



' How much do you want for them ?' 



1 A lot of money,' was the brief reply. 



'But how much? and what do you call a lot of 

 money ?' was inquired again. 



1 Fifty pounds the brace, and not a shilling less,' said 

 the man, evidently thinking he had put the wealth of the 

 Indies on them. Of course they were bought without 

 the shilling abatement being suggested ; and a few weeks 

 after Mr. Etwall won 800 in stakes, beside bets, the 

 latter not a large addition to his winnings, as betting on 

 coursing was not so much in vogue in those days as it is 

 now, or he might have won as many thousands with 

 them as he did hundreds. 



I have said that Mr. Etwall hunted ; and when I was 

 a boy of about ten, and weighed about 3 st. 4 lb., he 

 made me a present of a red hunting-coat, top-boots, and 

 leather-breeches, of which costume I was not a little 

 proud. Indeed, I followed the hounds with him for two 

 or three successive seasons with enthusiastic delight, 

 well looked after by his watchfulness. 



He was peculiar, as I have said, and one of his 

 peculiarities was, that he never would allow you to give 

 any of his servants the smallest gratuity. He used to 

 say that he paid them, and that that was enough. 

 Acting strictly on the same principle, he would never 

 give anything to anybody else's servants, no matter what 

 they might have done for him. Nevertheless, on one 



