Our Odd-men 



went on the old fellow, '' der vas not 

 among my men no better man after dat 

 time ; and der vas not a man dat did like 

 me so much. O yes," he would some- 

 times add, "I did hurt him very much, 

 and very hard ; but dat vas good for him, 

 and much better than to be flogged ; some 

 people would have flogged him, but that^ is 

 a cruel thing for a man ; it disgraces him 

 before the other men and before himself." 



He was quite an old man when he came 

 to us to eke out his little pay with such 

 wage as an outside porter could earn. His 

 great strength, and sobriety, and orderly 

 ways soon raised him high in my Father's 

 liking, and, indeed, brought him within the 

 good favour of all who had to do with him. 

 For us boys he was a living volume of 

 tales of adventure and marvel, and feats of 

 strength. 



His loyalty to my Father carried him to 

 great lengths at times. On one notable 

 occasion the afternoon coach brought down 

 two young dandified gentlemen from town, 

 who by the guard's telling had made them- 

 selves sufficiently unpleasant to the other 

 passengers the whole way down, and were 

 now as full of importance as if they had 

 been the King's brothers. "Coachman," 

 cried one, with a great manner, ''have my 

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