404 Modern Dogs. 



their training whenever an opportunity occurred, 

 and when I could get some game for sport, had an 

 occasional private rehearsal. 



" Trials of the Marbury young tykes were held 

 periodically. On these occasions the youngsters out 

 at walk were collected together for the fray, and 

 woe be to the tykes when the day of trial came if 

 they did not come up to the Squire's standard I 

 It did not matter how smart or good-looking they 

 were, unless they answered the Squire's motto, which, 

 was, ' They must be stout as steel, good as gold, 

 and hot as fire/ and if they were not all this on 

 their day of trial, death was their doom very shortly. 

 When sufficient game was got together to give the 

 tykes a trial, a day was fixed, and on most of these 

 occasions no one except the squire and his keepers 

 were allowed to witness it, except a reverend divine 

 occasionally, and old Tom Rogers (there were two 

 Toms old Tom and young Tom), who was generally 

 there at the trials. Sometimes, however, the Squire 

 would invite a few friends, farmers who kept terriers 

 for him, to witness the sport, and at such times as 

 these there was always a grand field day. 



" Old Tom Rogers was a master sweep, and such 

 in those days earned as much or more money than 

 most men in trade at that period. Sweeping chim- 

 neys with machines was not in vogue then, but 



