JANUARY 83 



dead. When, somewhat unexpectedly, I took on Baker's Farm 

 last November, not having sufficient cattle to stock it, I was 

 obliged to buy ten head on Norwich market, which I did at a 

 price of thirteen pounds apiece. I have never done this before, 

 and, unless it is absolutely necessary, I never mean to do it again, 

 as I look upon these market cattle with great distrust. For the 

 most part they come from Ireland, and then are hawked about 

 from sale to sale until their owner gets what he considers an 

 advantageous offer. Thus they might begin at Lynn and go to 

 Dereham, and thence to Norwich, on each occasion standing for 

 a whole day in the market-place. Consequently, when they leave 

 these pens the brutes are ravenous, and pick up and swallow any 

 rubbish that they can find, thus laying the foundation of internal 

 disorders ; also often enough, although they may not show the 

 result of it till afterwards, they have been knocked about upon 

 board ship, or in the trucks, or on the road by brutal drovers. 



The cruelty which this class of men will sometimes show to 

 animals in their charge is almost incredible, especially if they 

 happen to have had a glass too much beer and the beasts are 

 obstinate or troublesome. A year or so back, when I was wait- 

 ing at Forncett Station for a train on market day, I saw two 

 drovers driving pigs up an inclined plank into a truck. One 

 of these pigs refused to go up the plank and ran away once or 

 twice, whereupon the men beat it about the head with their 

 heavy sticks till it was three-parts stunned and the blood came 

 from its ears and nostrils. Fortunately I had a minute or two to 

 spare before the train came in, and was able to employ it in 

 a rapid visit to the police. These men were afterwards prosecuted 

 for cruelty to animals, but I do not know with what result, as I 

 was away from home at the time. 



A few days after their arrival here one or two of these pur- 

 chased oxen, which were fine-grown but rather poor Irish beasts, 

 showed signs of not being very well. Hood and I were afraid lest 

 they might be about to develop an infectious disease, for that risk 

 he who buys cattle on the market must take also. They recovered, 



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